Please Remember
by Mixed-Signals
Summary: COMPLETE!After travelling with the Fellowship, a Slayer from our world goes back to London after the death of her lover. When he's sent back will her love be enough to restore what his death robbed them of? His memories.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I realised yesterday that what you learn about her past in this chapter is totally wrong. I wrote this when it was meant to be a one shot. After 8.5 chapters were saved on my computer I realised it was slightly longer than that. So I've revamped it a little. No big deal and the story's pretty much the same so ... ya know, don't panic.

If you've not read this before ignore my rambling. If you carry on reading you'll get used to that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter One:  
  
The wind whipped through the open balcony doors and tugged impatiently at the cream silk curtains hanging there. Warm sunshine was splashed across the soft rug spread over the polished marble floor. Trees of the forest outside rustled and whispered to one another, spreading the news one last time before they began their grieving.  
  
The Prince of Mirkwood was dead.  
  
Even if she hadn't been able to understand their words the mourning she-elf would still know what they said. It was all Lienaren had been able to think since he fell outside the Black Gates little over a month ago. It claimed her thoughts night and day and every time she heard the words in her mind it killed her all over again.  
  
The breeze that had been pulling on the curtains soon ceased and left her to her grief and her memories, for that was all she would ever have of him now. She lay on what was once his bed with her face buried in the pillows. It had been so long since he had slept in it the sheets no longer held his scent. Yet more of him that had been claimed by the wind never to be returned to her.  
  
Her soft brown hair fell in graceful waves and curls across the soft green blankets and covered her arms that cradled her head as her delicate frame was wracked with sobs. She hadn't been able to stop crying since he left her. Although she was not always sobbing her face was never dry of her tears. And as the days had grown into weeks she feared she would never be free of the pain.  
  
With a final shudder and strained gasp she forced herself to hold the rest of it in for now. She raised her pounding head and gazed out of the open doors to the world outside. Birds sang a lament to their Prince and she knew they grieved for the beautiful life lost. One perched on the balcony railing and looked sympathetically at her. Lienaren dragged herself unsteadily off the bed and absently tried to brush the creases out of her long ivory gown. She sniffed and walked heavily onto the balcony, feeling the warmth of the sun try and comfort her with its presence. Looking down at the bird she watched it watch her and wondered what it was thinking. She rested her hands on the stone railing and it hopped over giving her a light peck before taking to the air and disappearing into the forest. Lienaren watched it until it was out of sight, wishing she could disappear with it. How she longed to leave this place filled with memories of what she had lost.  
  
But through all the pain she was holding on to there was one tiny piece of her life that still sparkled. The one reason she was still breathing and had not surrendered to sweet oblivion that beckoned to her from the moment her love closed his eyes. She was carrying his child. Maybe the wind hadn't stolen everything from her.  
  
Lienaren rested her hands protectively over her still flat belly and thought about the little life she could already feel growing within her. As if sensing her need the breeze stirred itself back to life and gently combed its invisible fingers comfortingly through her hair, sweeping it softly to the side over her left shoulder. The she-elf fancied she could hear a whispered voice telling her what she wanted to hear, that she would be with Legolas again, that all she needed was to be patient.  
  
All too soon even the breeze abandoned her and she was once again stood alone on the balcony looking out over the view she had wanted so much to share with her husband. She could imagine standing just here with Legolas close behind her, his arms surrounding her with his hands resting over hers where they lay on the railing like he had countless times while they were in Lothlorien. He would rest his cheek on her temple and talk to her about unimportant nonsense that neither really cared about just because he knew how much she liked to hear him speak. It was the lack of moments such as this that kept her face wet with tears.  
  
But it was the nights that were slowly driving her insane. If she closed her eyes she could feel the mattress shift under his weight as he rolled over to take her in his arms again. Sometimes she found herself waiting for the touch to come but at the same time knowing it never would. Her body was still telling her she never slept alone, especially as she was in his own bed; and when she was only half awake she caught herself reaching out for him. The first time she did that had nearly killed her.  
  
Within a moment she was transported back to the first time they had made love. He had been so gentle and loving she had cried with the intensity of it from the moment he lowered her onto the bed. The memory of his hands caressing her trembling body as they writhed together was too much and she squeezed her eyes shut with a cry, jerking backward from the balcony and walking blindly into their room. She opened her eyes only to close them with a painful sob as they fell on the bed once more. For the briefest of seconds her craving mind had imagined he was there waiting for her between the sheets, that same lazy smile he always had on his face when she came to him.  
  
Out of sheer desperation to be free of the torturing memories she cried out again and dashed for the door, throwing it open and racing down the hall, paying little heed to those in her way. She didn't know where to go. Everywhere reminded her of him, although she had never seen him here to remember it. His spirit was still here even if he wasn't and she craved the familiarity. But she knew she had to get away somehow. If she didn't she would commit one of the worst crimes an elf could. She would throw herself from the nearest balcony, killing herself and their child. Hopelessness and the prospect of never-ending pain had driven her that far. She couldn't take much more of this.  
  
Then a distant memory from what felt like a lifetime ago sparked in her mind and she saw for the first time something she had yearned for all the long weeks since her husband's death.  
  
Peace.

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Drop me a line and let e know what you think. Any good? Does it suck? I want feedback so just push the little grey button.


	2. Chapter 2

I've decided that it's a good thing to proof read before you post. I went back and looked at the whole story so far and realised just how much you miss when you're writting. But here goes with chapter 2 anyway. Hope you like it. And cheers for the reviews. They made my day!

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Chapter 2  
  
"You are leaving?" Thranduil couldn't believe what he was hearing but the look on the broken female in front of him cured him of any doubts.  
  
Lienaren sighed and felt a stab of guilt but knew she had no choice. Her dry cheeks were proof that this was the right move. So she stood in the King's study and explained to him what she wanted to do. Since she had made her decision she had found just enough hope to stop the constant weeping, although it would be some years before the tears left her completely. "Yes, dearest Ada. I fear I must. Although I am far from recovered I feel I can do no more within what was once his home. The memories will not leave me be." Her heart broke a little more at the pain in the great King's eyes but again she knew this was the only course of action left open to her.  
  
Thraduil sighed but knew there could be no trying to dissuade her. If she did not want to remain in Mirkwood it would be cruel to try and change her mind. The decision must have been hard enough without the added pressure of what he wanted. "Will you ever return?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," she replied without hesitation. She had no intention of staying away forever. "I may return after the birth but I do not know how soon after. I cannot know how I will feel when holding the only thing of his I have left." Yet more tears stung her eyes but she held them at bay, wanting to delay the inevitable for as long as possible. She wanted to be alone when she cried.  
  
And she was. Together she and Thranduil spent the better part of the day making all the necessary arrangements and by the time Lienaren left the room it was almost time for dinner. As always she collected a tray the ever hopeful cook had loaded with food in the never-ceasing optimism that she would one day eat properly and walked through the winding corridors to her private garden, where she always ate nowadays.  
  
Thranduil had given the garden to her days after the funeral. He had told her he had one similar on the other side of the palace which he had since the sailing of his wife and Legolas' mother. What he hadn't told Lienaren was that this had been the garden Legolas had chosen for the very same reason. It had been his special place, the one place the young Prince had never shown any of his friends or lovers. But Thranduil had known Legolas had planned to take her there when they returned from the Ring Quest. He had written his father a letter the day before they left Lorien explaining everything he felt for the young female. With a stab of pain Thranduil had remembered that he never had the chance to show her. He had never returned.  
  
Lienaren sat peacefully beneath the largest and oldest tree in the garden and ate a little of the feast prepared for her. But her control couldn't stand the solitude and forced her into submission. Her composure crumbled as did her serene expression. The first initial gasp of a sob was always the most painful but she knew it got easier so she let more follow until, as she was every night, she lay on her side, her head pillowed on her arms, as she wept for all she had taken from her never to be known again.  
  
One month later all was ready and she stood in clothes she hadn't worn for almost one whole year. Her faded blue jeans, long sleeved red shirt and her long black coat. Her tatty pack was clutched in her trembling hands while she watched Gandalf perform the spell she clearly remembered her Watcher, Peter, doing one year before.  
  
Lienaren, Gandalf and Thranduil stood in a clearing in the forest and watched the smoke from the modest fire forming the black gate she would soon be passing through. The wizard lifted the oil-coated dagger and split the blackness wide open. After saying her tearful goodbyes which were deliberately cut short she stepped up to the swirling mass of light and electricity which jerked so many memories from the long forgotten past it seemed she had gone back in time. Balling her courage she was about to take the final step when a hand took hold of her upper arm. Looking back at Gandalf she smiled as he pressed a bundle of herbs into her hand and closed her fingers firmly over it.  
  
With a voice almost broken with emotion he said, "Whenever you wish to return here toss this into the fire with the rest of the herbs. The gate will bring you directly to this spot. I think Peter was missing something like this when he put the portal together last time." As an afterthought her added, "Do not stay away longer than you must. Remember we love you just as much as we did him. The loss of one was hard enough but to lose you both..." He let the sentence trail off and settled with just kissing her forehead as a final goodbye.

The next thing Lienaren knew the world was just a mass of spinning white light, roaring wind and crackling static. Then she plopped gently to the leaf-covered ground of a wood she thought she would never see again.

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Please review. I've only posted a few chapters but I'm already addicted to hearing what you guys think. And constructive criticism is always appreciated! I'm actually surprised I haven't had any flames yet because of this story's blatans Sue-ishness. Not that I'm asking for any, mind you!Lol.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow. Chapter 3. Somehow I thought I would have quite before now. But positive reviews are keeping me going which is great! I'm actually really scared of you guys! A few months ago I never would have posted any of my work and now I remember why. I never realised that the writers on here must feel some kind of pressure to keep going. I know I do now. But maybe that's just me being weird. Whatever.

Ceana: Thanks for the tip. What do you think I should change it to? I'd never really though of it before : )

Nithke: Wow. Someone likes my stuff! I'm all happy. And you're right. Sueism abounds in this story. For some reason it's all I can write. I'm not very imaginitive, ya see.

Myri78: Aww, don't cry! I have this thing where I'm incapable or writting sad endings so it will get better, I promise.

Anyway, I'll stop yammering and let you lovely people get on with it. I'll post more later on today.

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Chapter 3  
  
"Well, that was easier than I thought it would be," she said to herself as she got to her feet and picked up her bag. She glanced at the herbs in her hand and shrugged. They must have been more important than Peter realised.  
  
She didn't know how long it had been since she left but she didn't want to have to wait any longer. Swinging the pack onto her shoulder she took off at a steady jog and was soon sprinting along the remembered path through the cemetery. When she reached the gates she realised the night was exactly like the one when she had left. The sky was clear and the moon was only a thin sliver of light in the midnight darkness. There was only a slight breeze to disturb the peaceful quiet and the ground glistened with freshly fallen rain. But she spent no time marvelling over these things as she dashed through the London streets.  
  
Turning the last corner between her and her old home she skidded to a halt at what she saw. Peter was crossing the road just by their house and was just about to trot up the stairs to their front door. But that wasn't all she saw. Much closer a shadowy figure lurked in the tiny front garden of a house just in front of her. It didn't take much brain power to figure out he was a member of the Council. She had seen enough of them to realise that this one was not planning a social call on the Slayer's former residence. Lienaren was just about to step in and ask what the Hell he was doing when he reached into his coat and withdrew a silencer to attach to the gun she had only just noticed him holding. For a moment she was too stunned to do anything but stare as he raised his arm and aimed the weapon at his unsuspecting victim.  
  
It then took her less than a second to leap over the wall between her and the Watcher. In two strides she was behind him and threw her booted foot up to connect with the hand holding the poised gun. The finger on the trigger jerked back making the weapon spit its lead bullet across the street and hit the wall not two feet from Peter's head. But this went unnoticed by the Slayer as she grabbed the assassin by the arm and wrenched it behind his back. He grunted in pain but she paid him no heed as she pushed his face down to squash it against the wall in front of them.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" Lienaren growled dangerously.  
  
The man squirmed and tried to struggle free but the woman was merciless with her iron grip. He said nothing just groaned at the increased pain his struggles caused. She questioned him a few more times but all she got out of him was a few more grunts, groans and occasionally a yelp or two. When it became clear he wasn't going to talk she released his arm but that was only to spin him round to face her. Grabbing the front of his shirt she bent forward and picked up the dropped gun with her sleeve-covered hand. With a dangerous gleam in her eye and said in a voice like she was talking to a child, "You see, this is what happens when you stick with the Council. They send you on a suicide mission when they tire of you." She waited just long enough to see his eyes widen in fear for his life before she swung her arm and struck him hard with the butt of the gun. It made a satisfying crunch as his left eye socket broke and he slumped unconscious in her grip.  
  
Tucking the gun back into his coat she looped his arm over her shoulder and carried him like she would a passed out drunk. She walked two streets until she came to a main road. Hailing a taxi she deposited him in the back seat none too gently and fished around in his pockets until she came to his wallet. She handed the driver all the notes in there (which came to about seventy-five pounds) and said to take him to the police station and have them check his pockets.  
  
As the taxi and confused but happy driver joined the congested traffic Lienaren sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. She wondered if Gandalf could have done that on purpose and wondered what it would have been like to come home and find Peter dead on their doorstep. A whimper escaped her throat despite her best efforts to stop it and she knew exactly what it would have been like to find him there. Seeing him dead would be almost as painful as watching Legolas die in her arms.  
  
A tear drizzled from the corner of each eye as once again she was immersed in memories but a voice jerked her from her thoughts and for the first time in one whole year her thoughts were not on Legolas.  
  
"Welcome home, Isabella."  
  
Peter had just returned from watching his charge leave him forever when the wall by his head had exploded in the unmistakable fashion of plaster hit by a bullet. It's best if we don't discuss how he came to recognise this. Secret dark history an' all. He had flinched and ducked but was soon drawn to the scuffle going on in Mr Hanson's front garden. When he got a clear view of the two people he couldn't quite believe what his flawless vision was telling him.  
  
"Issie?" he murmured and came down from the steps. He lost all doubt when she knocked the Watcher out and was giddy with joy as she lifted the heavily built man off the ground and carried him out of sight.  
  
He was beside himself. He had thought he was never going to see Isabella again but not ten minutes after they had said goodbye forever she was here again. But then his heart fell. The spell hadn't worked. She was meant to be sent to Middle Earth where she would fulfil her destiny. His gut twisted in discomfort as he thought of having to try again and say goodbye once more. He wasn't sure he could do it.  
  
Peter silently watched as she loaded the man into a taxi and was about to approach when she turned and he saw her face. He gasped at the change in her. She was older, maybe not in physical appearance but in her eyes the weight of years pressed heavily upon her. Those were the eyes of someone who had seen too much and lost more than they knew they ever had to give.  
  
Within seconds those haunted eyes turned sightless and he knew she was reliving something from the obvious Hell she had lived through. It was the two crystal drops that fell onto her face that convinced him. It had worked. She had been and returned. And she had died a thousand deaths.  
  
He didn't realise he had moved until he was standing less than five feet from her. And somehow he knew exactly what to say. "Welcome home, Isabella."  
  
Lienaren whipped round to face Peter and for a moment she didn't know what to do. Thankfully she didn't have to think for herself because her body walked itself into the waiting arms of her Watcher. Her breaths were coming in gasps like she had just broken the surface of an ice cold pool. Before she even knew what was happening tears were flowing freely and all she could do was hold on tightly as her body was once more wracked with sobs.  
  
For some reason it felt like the quest was finally over for her. Up until that moment her mind hadn't been able to let go of the Fellowship and the Quest. But now she was back in London and it was finally finished. And the relief was overwhelming. Now she wasn't just crying for Legolas, but she was crying for the whole of the past year. It had been so hard and there had been so much pain a part of her couldn't accept that she didn't have to do it anymore. But it was true. She really didn't.  
  
Peter just stood there stunned for a few moments as she wept bitterly over things he couldn't begin to imagine. When he eventually got his thoughts together he bent slightly and scooped his Slayer up into his arms and carried her home. For good this time.

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Do I really need to remind you what that little grey button is for? C'mon, you know what to do. Make a poor no-life student really happy. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease? 


	4. Chapter 4

Don't worry people! Legolas will be making his apprearance soon. I've got his frst chapter half done and I've checked through all the chapters before it. They aren't all that long. I'll get them all posted over today, I think. Tomorrow he arrives! I just wanted to focus more on how Lienaren is feeling before I launched into the main plot. I'm stalling! I have a feeling once I actually have to make it interesting I'm going to run out of steam! But I'll keep trying if you guys want me to.

Coolio02: What did you mean by "very interesting"?Lol. Was that interesting as in: I'm intrigued? Or interesting as in: I'm not sure if I'm into it or not? Either ways great! I'm just glad to hear from you : ) (5 mins later) Okay, just read your second review and I feel stupid! Thanks for the compliment! Let me know what you think of the rest.

Myri78: I'm so glad you like it. I'm doing another happy dance now. The chapters aren't that long and they're all going up today so you won't have to wait long. I'm a little stuck with chapter 9 but I'm working on it.

siriuszsecretlover: Hey, I made another person cry! and thanks for the feedback. It really boosts my ego when I hear people like my stuff. Keep reviewing.

People are going to have to tell me in their reviews if I don't explain things properly. I started the prequel before I adopted this plot bunny so I forget that people don't know what's going on. But be nice about it!Lol. I don't do it on purpose : )

Well, here it is. Number 4

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Chapter 4  
  
Hours stretched into days, days grew into weeks and eventually weeks clustered together to form months. Three of these had passed since Lienaren's return from middle earth. Her belly was yet to develop the attractive swell that came with carrying a child. This was to be expected as she still had eight and a half months left to go before she was due.  
  
She sat thoughtfully on her bad and gazed out at the drizzle that had become the stereotype Britain in the Autumn. Occasionally she saw a soggy brown leaf skitter along the pavement but other than that the streets were lifeless. The sun was concealed from her view by thick pale grey clouds but she knew She was there. She had been tracking Her movement for almost four hours, waiting for Her to burn through the gloom to shed some needed light on the lost she-elf beneath Her.  
  
A steaming mug of coffee was perched on the windowsill making a thin layer of condensation which mingled with her hot breath as together they added to the clouds obliterating her view of the outside world.  
  
This wasn't needed for much longer as Lienaren blinked her eyes to clear her relaxed vision. She hadn't been paying any attention to the goings on before her really. All that really went on in her head was the same thing that went on every day. Replaying over and over various times she had spent with Legolas on the Quest. Most of them were in Lothlorien where they had spent their happiest times. But more often than not her mind was centred on one particular place and time: outside the Black Gates of Mordor when she said the hardest goodbye of her life. The memory was so powerful she could smell the blood soaking her clothes and hands.  
  
Her face was still drenched with salty tears that seemed to have no end and it seemed incredible to her she hadn't died of dehydration yet. So much liquid was lost from her body and she paid so little attention to her physical needs it was a wonder she could still stand.  
  
She probably would have died if it wasn't for Peter. Her had dragged her out on patrol less than a week after her unexpected return correct in the assumption that the immanent danger would trigger her instinct to fight. She had fought hard and well but she seemed to take far too much anger out on the vampires she dusted. He understood though. She was releasing her pain in the only way she knew how. Crying would only ease it for so long. So he watched from a distance, only getting involved once in the entire three months when she got herself into trouble. But in the end she had needed to rescue him so he let her fight her own battles from now on.  
  
When they were at home he made sure she ate and drank regularly, although she never wanted to. Well, no, that's not quite right. It wasn't that she actively didn't want to. She just didn't care that it had been nine hours and she hadn't moved from the chair by the fire, or that she had been sat on the front step all night and it had started to rain. It didn't ever occur to her to care. The idea that she should take notice never even entered her mind.  
  
But she had gradually been bringing herself back to the land of the living. Peter noticed with growing relief that she spent slightly less time staring into space than she used to and it was becoming easier and easier to bring her out of her thoughts. The coffee she now held in her hands was the first one she had made without being asked since she got back. And she had come to her senses on her own this time, not by the phone or doorbell or Peter coming in and interrupting her. She had actually decided to do something else other than sit there thinking about a time she was never going to live again.  
  
Lienaren ran her fingers through her hair and marvelled at how strange and light her head felt. She tucked the strands behind her ear and felt the soft ends tickle her neck. It was a strange feeling having short hair for the first time since she could remember. She had it cut the day before and had looked into the hairdresser's mirror curiously at the new face she saw there. It wasn't her. But that was okay. She wasn't really her anymore anyway so it kind of fit really.  
  
Peter had been pleased that she starting to do the little things again. He had been worried about her ever since he had brought her home and she had begun pouring out the whole story before he had even settled her on the sofa. Just hearing the raw emotion in her voice as she described the various details of the quest tore at his heart but he listened silently through the night. Now he understood his friend's pain better that anyone else could. He had seen it written clearly in her face as she cried.  
  
So he knew this pain would only go away given time. He couldn't force it. All he could do was be there for her if and when she needed him. As it had turned out she had needed him constantly whether she came out and said it or not. And all his hard work was beginning to pay off as he could see as she walked down the stairs wearing tight blue jeans and a baggy black sweatshirt. Her pink bunny slippers flopped awkwardly on the floor as she padded softly along the hall and into the kitchen. She settled herself on one of the stools and took a long gulp of the bitter liquid in her mug.  
  
She sighed and looked across the island at him, contemplating whether or not to say what was on her mind. Peter who was sat on the stool opposite her, as before, chose to stick to the method that had worked well enough these past months. Her waited for her to come to him in her own time, because he knew she would. But what she said hadn't been what he expected.  
  
"Peter, I'm sorry. I don't know what's been wrong with me since I got back." Her voice was full of regret and her guilt showed clearly in her eyes as she looked over at him.  
  
He stared at her in surprise. "Issie, we both know exactly what was wrong with you. You have suffered the worst possible thing. You have had your soul mate taken from you before your very eyes. And that takes a long time to get over. You spent a year loving this incredible man and now he's gone." He saw her mood deteriorate with frightening speed and rapidly moved on. He leaned across the table and took her hand. "But over these last few days I have seen you improve and grow in strength and determination, even if it is only through small steps like the ones you've taken. And I am proud of you. There is absolutely nothing to apologise for, Isabella."  
  
Lienaren nodded. Then she realised something. "You know, you're the only one to use my old name in over a year. I've been called Lienaren since I left. It's weird to hear you call me that now." Although she didn't smile her eyes lost their sorrowful look for a while.  
  
Peter smiled for both of them. "Do you want to go back to the elvish name again? If you do I'll happily try and remember." He still found it strange to think that what had only been about fifteen minutes to him had actually been well over a year for her.  
  
The Slayer thought for a while then slowly shook her head. "No." She sighed. "I don't think so. That was part of the Quest. And that's done with now." She got up from her seat while draining the rest of her coffee. Walking over to the sink she rinsed her mug and left it on the draining board then walked to the basement door and trotted down the stairs to catch up on some well needed training.

Lienaren the elvish Princess had become Isabella the Vampire Slayer once more.

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I say again, push the little grey button and fuel my motivation. 


	5. Chapter 5

Here's a little reminder of how she's really feeling. The reviews have been great. Thanks to all of you that have dropped me a line. It's appreciated! Don't stop now, whatever you do.

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Chapter 5  
  
Thank God for maternity dungarees! They were the only thing keeping Isabella sane at that moment. None of her other clothes fit because she seemed to have lost weight in some places and gained it in others. 'Well excuse me for thinking an elvish pregnancy was going to be like a normal human one where you just get fat all over!' Issie thought moodily as she collapsed on the sofa after a long morning of shopping for baby clothes.  
  
She rolled her eyes as she tried and failed to bend and reach the laces on her trainers and ended just forcing them off her feet and flicking them across the room. She still couldn't get used to how huge she was. And she wasn't even full term yet. She still had another month and a half to go. All she could hope for now was that an elvish pregnancy really was different to a human one in that the baby didn't do most of its growing in the last month. It seemed like if she got any bigger she wouldn't be able to get out of her chair. But, considering how tired she was, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.  
  
"Peter," she called with a mock persuasive voice from her flopped position on the sofa. "Pete', Sweetie, could you possibly bring me some chips and that lovely chocolate sauce while you're in the kitchen? If you do I will love you forever. And I can!"  
  
Within ten minutes she was sat with her feet up on the foot stool, a bowl of chocolate-covered chips balanced on her swollen belly, and the TV remote in her hand. She was flicking speedily through the dozens of Satellite channels she insisted they have installed before she stopped with a gasp and flicked back a couple of stations. Her eyes stung and blurred and she wiped reflexively at the tear drops before they got past her cheek bones.  
  
The Fellowship of the Ring was on one of the movie channels. They were in Moria, fighting the cave troll. As she saw the exact same scene replayed from when she had been there, fighting alongside them, the hand holding the remote gripped it so hard her knuckles turned white and her hand shook. The plastic beneath her fingers started creaking and she forced herself to release it before she crushed it. Issie pushed herself up and walked to the television, dropping heavily to her knees in front of the screen. She watched wide eyed as the exact image of Legolas walked and fought before her eyes. The tears fell unheeded now. She didn't even feel them as they scorched her face.  
  
The baby stirred in her womb at her mother's distress wordlessly worrying over what was wrong and asking why her mother was so upset. Over the months the bond between mother and child had grown and increased in strength. It was no longer some faceless life inside of her. It was more than just a heartbeat. She was a tiny person and she had a name.  
  
"It's alright Katelin. It's alright," Issie cooed automatically, not really meaning or even hearing the words at all, running her hands comfortingly over her stomach in an attempt to sooth the child. This did little to calm the baby and she squirmed and kicked her legs about, unknowingly increasing to her mother's distress as she absorbed the baby's anxiety, fuelling her own.  
  
At the familiar sound of the movie Peter rushed into the living room, a towel still draped over his forearm as he finished drying his hands after washing up. He stopped in the doorway and watched as Isabella reached out a trembling hand to touch the screen as it showed Legolas' fair face. A whimper of longing that was only just less than a sob burst from her throat and Peter didn't resist the urge to go to her. He knelt behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Come away, Issie. Don't hurt yourself anymore."  
  
It had been at least a month since she really sobbed over him and she was beginning to feel the need to cry burning in her chest. But she refused to give in to it. Not this time. This time she would be strong and keep going. She was a mother now and couldn't afford to just break down whenever she was confronted my just how much she missed him.  
  
Those last five words were the ones that sealed her fate though. She wrapped her arms round herself and let it go, sobbing and wailing for all she was worth. Her eyes were squeezed shut but she felt Peter get close in behind her and begin rocking them back and forth. While he held her with one arm he reached forward and turned the television off, freeing Issie of the haunting image of what she had lost.  
  
There was absolutely nothing Lord of the Rings or Orlando Bloom related in the house. No books, videos, CDs or posters to remind Issie of Legolas except one portrait Thranduil insisted she bring with her. But even this was kept safely in a specially bought case tucked away in her wardrobe. They didn't watch Film 2004, film awards or any other programmes that might give the Slayer reason to think of him. Although, it didn't really matter. She would see his face on a blank wall and hear his voice in a silent room. But this was different. It had been nearly ten months since she saw him last yet her memory hadn't faded. She didn't even struggle to remember the exact colour of his eyes. His scent still haunted her dreams to the point where she thought she could smell him on the sheets when she woke up after a particularly vivid dream.  
  
Peter helped her back to the sofa and there she stayed for the rest of the afternoon and long into the evening.

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Read and Review, people. I'm not feelin' enough love!Lol. : )


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
As she crossed off the date on her calendar Isabella gave a shuddering sigh and a long blink. But she didn't cry. Her eyes, although they still shone with grief, were dry.  
  
It was one year to the day that she and Legolas had last consummated their love. Today was the day their daughter was due.  
  
And the little girl seemed to know it aswell. She had been squirming and kicking all morning as if she was really trying to come into the world on her own. And Issie would be glad when she did. Carrying around the heavy weight was tiring and even Slayer strength wouldn't help her now. She spent most of her time sitting down but if she wasn't in a chair she was either on her way to a chair or heading toward the fridge for a snack.  
  
'Snack' was a relative term in this household. For Peter a snack would be a small piece of cake, one or two biscuits or some fruit. For Isabella a 'snack' would be an entire cake, a packet of biscuits or a pizza. Her meals would quite easily feed two or three people.  
  
But for some unknown reason she was still the same slim young woman she was a year ago. Well, if you ignored the humongous bulge from her stomach she still had the same figure. Her limbs were still toned and flexible, her breasts had swollen and were tender but hadn't drooped to her belly button like she thought they were going to and her face was exactly how it had been since before she was pregnant. Apart from the obvious, the only thing that had really changed about her figure was the attractively widened hips. They still weren't 'wide' by any means but they had developed pleasingly soft curves that broke up the slimness that made all other women hate her. Peter had said it made her look more... feminine, less like the warrior and more like the happy young wife. This compliment made a shadow pass over Issie's features so the Watcher had swiftly changed the subject onto baby clothes and the finishing touches to Katelin's room.  
  
This had cheered her up and she soon pulled herself back together enough to deal with the gaping hole in her life once more. Although she knew she would never be happy without Legolas she had accepted that he was never coming back. Issie was even thinking about what she would do with her life once the baby was born. She was going to have to live with everything that had happened and she was going to have to live forever. She wanted to make something of her life so she had something else to think about during the long, cold winter nights. It seemed that after she had nearly faded she had become slightly susceptible to the elements. Peter had a secret theory that this had something to do with a part of Isabella that had died inside of her when she was torn from her soul mate. Something vaguely to do with his soul holding onto a part of hers and taking it with him. He had never voiced this theory of course but he thought of it every time he heard her shiver or go to fetch a second pair of socks. There was a part of Isabella the elves hadn't been able to save.  
  
But she was getting along well enough without it. She talked and ate and walked whenever she could work up the energy, they had even gone swimming a couple of weeks ago but the loud shouting and disorienting echoes had hurt her sensitive ears and they had left soon after. When the weather improved they would try the beach instead.  
  
Two days after Katelin's due date paint smeared Issie's face in streaks of green, brown and white as she worked hard to complete the mural she had begun on the nursery walls. Trees of varying ages and girths surrounded the room in bright shades of green that gradually worked their way into the distance. Patches of sunlight streamed through the gaps in the canopy and spread in glorious splashes of gold on the painted leaf covered ground giving the effect of a beautiful sunny day in what had almost been her home. And on one wall, stood proud and tall between the trees, was Legolas' white stallion, Arod. His head was held high and ears pointing forward with interest. His soulful eyes seemed to follow you around the room as they glittered with intelligence.  
  
Katelin had been still all day and as Issie put the finishing touches on Arod's sweeping mane she wondered at this. But she had little time to think about this as her stomach gave an impressive growl and the sound reminded her of the wargs she and Legolas faced together on their way to Helm's Deep. As she walked heavily down the stairs she noticed the improvement in her control with nothing less than pride. She was now able to think and remember him without breaking down. All she could not prevent now was the sigh of longing and the inevitable stab of pain. That had not lessened even if she had gotten used to its almost constant presence.  
  
But she wasn't going to focus on this. It wouldn't help her. After a sudden urge to finish Katelin's room had led to five hours almost constant painting, tidying and washing she was going to eat half the fridge and let herself feel pleased with her achievement. Knowing it was all finished made her feel able to relax and await her daughter's arrival.  
  
She walked over to fling open the window, getting rid of the fumes from the still wet and glistening paint. But as she came down from the slight stretch she felt a twinge in her abdomen that was unpleasantly familiar. Isabella frowned putting a hand down to where it was starting to cramp. That was weird. That felt just like the beginnings of period pains. But she hadn't had a period in two years. And, as she was heavily pregnant, she wasn't likely to be having one any time soon if ever again. But when it faded into nothing she just brushed it off as yet another case of indigestion and carried on with the rest of her day. Okay, I know this implies she actually did something but you know what I mean.  
  
An hour later the twinge was back, stronger this time and made her wince and hiss in discomfort. 'Okay, that was bordering on nasty there,' she thought as the cramp gradually eased away and she took a deep breath to steady the nervous fluttering of her definitely indigestion-free stomach. 'But that's okay. Nothing to worry about. Just practice ones. No big deal.'  
  
Forty-five minutes later she whimpered in pain and brought her knees up as high as they would go, which isn't very due to the major obstruction, when the pain assaulted her again. It seemed like each time the cramp got a little sharper and lasted a little longer. And this one was certainly outstaying its welcome.  
  
Peter chose that moment to walk through the living room door and see Isabella laying on the sofa, her face ever-so slightly contorted in pain. "Issie, what's wrong?" he asked concerned and rushed to kneel by the sofa. He took her hand and rubbed the back of it as he waited for her to respond.  
  
The Slayer looked over at her Watcher when the pain went away and said with a ghost of the first smile she had ever given since returning from middle earth, "I think Katelin wants to see the world." 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Over the past year Isabella and Peter had debated lightly over where the baby should be born. Young and inexperienced Issie wanted to be in hospital and have full access to all the legal and semi-legal drugs that could be provided there. Pain relief was the first and strongest argument she had put forward and hadn't ceased promoting her case until now. Now she felt the fear of giving birth she didn't want to be stuck in a smelly room with a load of strangers literally poking around. She just wanted to stay at home where she could try and relax.  
  
And Peter was inclined to agree with her. A home birth was the only safe option. Although she could pass for human if she tried the baby couldn't and nobody wanted anything even hinting at a test run on either mother or child. A midwife was about as medical as they could get and even that was pushing at bit.  
  
But over the months, when they could safely lie about how many months along she was, Issie had been visited by Wendy, a midwife who only lived about ten minutes walk away, perfect for the home birth they had eventually decided on. She was a short plump woman in her early forties and had been a midwife for nearly fifteen years. She had a quiet and kind manor, although she would pretend to get nasty when her rules were conveniently forgotten as they often were.  
  
Hours after the first contraction and kindness be damned. She wanted drugs, goddamn it! She was propped up on her bed wearing nothing but an open, pale blue, button down shirt. Sweat stuck her short hair to her forehead and the back of her neck as she gasped for air after a marathon push. She had been fully dilated for what felt like a week and seemed to be nearer to blacking out than anything else. Frustrated tears squeezed themselves from her eyes and rolled down her damp cheeks.  
  
"You're doing fine, love! Don't give up now. She's almost here. If you push like you did with that last contraction you'll be holding your daughter in your arms before you know it!" Wendy encouraged. She was kneeling on the foot of the bed and glanced over at Peter who sat next to Issie on the bed.  
  
He had learnt not to let her grip his hand when he heard his index finger crack. 'And it's not even my fault you're in this mess!' was on the tip of his tongue but he held it back and just dealt with the pain. 'Men are such wimps at times like this,' he thought to himself as he watched Isabella brace herself for the oncoming agony.  
  
Issie had heard the encouragement and could just make out the words through the throbbing pulse in her ears. Even now her mind was filled with thoughts of Legolas. 'He should be here. He should be a part of this,' she thought as she forced herself to relax before the last stretch. When the wave of pain crashed over her and a strangled cry tore from her throat as she pushed the final time she thought, 'He should be here so I can castrate the bastard!'  
  
But then it was over. A tiny wail reached her ears and a pink, wet...thing was placed on her chest. Issie was panting and gasping with the exertion but the moment she glanced down at the squirming life in her arms the pain and exhaustion was forgotten. She stared wide eyed at her little miracle in disbelief. "Hello, Katelin," Isabella said with her voice husky with emotion. Joyful tears stung her eyes and she blinked, letting them fall, as she slightly shifted the child in her grasp.  
  
The baby instinctively opened her mouth and searched the soft flesh of her mother's chest. She was hungry, scared and tired. What was Mum going to do about it? Katelin had decided she should feed her and Isabella wasn't going to argue. She shifted again and the baby latched onto her nipple before suckling greedily.  
  
Peter watched with fascination at this unique bond being formed. He stared even more when he saw Issies face. She stroked Katelin's cheek gently with her fingertip and did something she hadn't done in over eleven months.  
  
She smiled. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
'What a horror movie night. The next thing you know I'll hear the ominous footsteps of a serial killer on the path behind me,' Issie thought smirking as she strolled casually along the path that trailed through the cemetery. The sky was clear and the moon was full. Stars sparkled overhead, winking and twinkling cheerily at her as she let her head fall back to look up. A chilly wind whistled spookily through the naked trees overhead but she paid them no heed. Tonight _she_ was the scary one.  
  
Headstones and memorials surrounded her but instead of thinking of death and despair the Slayer's thought were filled with thoughts of life. She was now two months into motherhood and loving every second of it. Katelin was an angel most of the time and Wendy had commented more than once how quiet she was compared to some of the shockers she had met in her time.  
  
But she still needed a break, something to interrupt the never ending stream of nappies and feeding. So she went on patrol again. It had been a long time since she dared fight while she was pregnant but less than four days after the birth Issie was out Slaying again. She couldn't neglect her responsibilities any longer than was absolutely necessary so after being assured over and over that Peter would be fine with the baby she slipped a couple of stakes into their sheaths inside her sleeves and her dagger through her belt she had trotted down the steps and jogged confidently toward her old haunt. As an afterthought she had grabbed her Lorien cloak and clipped it round her shoulders. It didn't feel right fighting without it anymore.  
  
It was funny to think she had only really been gone about ten minutes. To her it seemed she should be seeing new headstones in previously unoccupied spaces and new shops should have opened in town. They should at least have a new milkman. But absolutely nothing had changed. She hadn't missed a thing. In truth she had never really left. After that last thought made her totally spin out she let her mind drift. Her thoughts landed on the night she first found out about what she really was.  
  
It had been about six weeks after her twenty-third birthday and she had been having pretty regular visions about various battle scenes with people she hadn't met yet. Of course she eventually did meet them. They were, as you probably guessed, the Fellowship at certain points during the Quest. Then there had been the visions of her and Legolas. They were of the two of them just being together, talking, laughing, occasionally fighting. Not to mention X rated ones that I won't go into.  
  
Issie had come home one night after a patrol with far too many injuries because she had a vision while walking through the cemetery. This had been the figurative straw that broke the Watcher's back and he sat her down and told all.  
  
Implausible as it may sound, Slayers are a secret race of elves unknown to pretty much everyone except the Watchers Council, a select few elves and Gandalf. A spell which Peter didn't explain was used to transfer the fertilised egg from an elf in middle earth to a human woman in this world. For some reason that, again, Peter didn't explain the child grew up at the human rate and didn't possess the trademark ears. 'I don't think he even knows. Or if he does it's obvious he doesn't understand it,' Issie thought with a smirk as she walked along. As no Slayer lived very long no one noticed that years passed them by without a trace of wear and tear. Not a wrinkle or blemish marred them but humans always had a knack for rationalising things they couldn't understand.  
  
No Slayer had ever been told of her real parentage until Issie. It seemed unnecessary to the heartless Watcher's Council. But Peter had become overly attached to Isabella, being the one that raised her after her human parents were killed by vampires when she was seven. So when she showed the visions were getting too much he relented. He offered her what information he knew and told her what the visions meant.  
  
She was being called from the other side.  
  
She chose to go to middle earth and she had literally been dumped into the Fellowship's path. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows? Either way it happened and Issie was thrown into a war she had been unprepared to fight in.  
  
To cut a year long story short, it turned out it had been Legolas unknowingly calling to her. Leaving Rivendell and knowing this quest would probably claim his life had triggered something in him and made his soul cry out for its mate. It wanted to know its other half before it lost the chance. He had known soon after meeting her that she was the one. Although it took her one hell of a long time to let him get close enough to show her they were meant to be together. But eventually it happened; on their first night in Lothlorien to be exact. From then on they had been pretty much inseparable until the final battle outside the Black Gates.  
  
She was heading into dangerous territory with her thoughts now. If she carried on this way she would undo all the hard work she had put into fighting earlier. So she decided to make one last sweep before heading home.  
  
'Soul mates' Yet another cliché. Her life was full of them. Sometimes she even shocked herself with how utterly predictable her unusual life could get. But she could live with it. It definitely had its good points.  
  
'It's missing the best one though,' hissed the evil little voice of her grief. It refused to see how her life was really turning itself around and was only focusing on what she couldn't get back. The loss still cut her deeper than any sword whenever it got pointed out to her. She still needed to close her eyes and take a steadying breath every time she thought his name, although she never spoke it aloud. It still hurt like Hell and was refusing to give up its death grip on her heart.  
  
"This isn't working," she said to herself, stopping in her tracks and thinking over what she should do next. 'I could always go to Club Zero and find a straggler or two. They're always good for clearing the mind.' She looked at her watch. 2am. She should really be heading back now. Peter could only wait up so long.  
  
Reluctantly turning on her heel she walked swiftly across the grass taking the more direct route home. This meant passing the wood where the portal had been opened. She didn't mind this. In a way it was nice. The memory and reality of it came together nicely to prove she wasn't going nuts and hadn't dreamt it all. Of course, the hungry baby that woke her up at 7 in the morning helped with that too.  
  
But tonight the woods felt different. With a talent she had picked up from Legolas she could hear and feel the agitation of the trees to her right. They were waiting for something. On an impulse Issie dived into the woods and walked to the clearing she hadn't visited in a year. What she saw when she got there was more than she ever could have imagined!

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Okay, that was my sad attempt at a cliffie. And next chapter is the one you've all been waiting for, or not. Legolas arrives! Hurrah! This one may take me a little while to post as I now actually have to think of a plot. My planning hadn't actually stretched that far!Lol. Suggestions would be great! I'm always open to other peoples opinions. Mean less work for me!

The more ideas I get the faster I can post so you know what I want you to do! RR


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, let's try that again. Thanks to Myri78 for the idea for this chapter! The last version sucked if I do say so myself. So I've redone it. Let me know if you think it's an improvement. This version makes more sense to me but drop me a line if you think otherwise.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed! Your support keeps me posting and I'm forever grateful for it!

Oh yeah, I can't remember if I said so or not but I've changed chapter one a little. I realised it didn't fit at all with the prequel so I changed her past slightly. No biggie, though. Anyway, just thought I'd say again just incase I had actually forgotten and people started reminding me. : )

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Chapter 9  
  
Isabella entered the clearing and was faced with something she never expected. It was a swirling mass of silver and white light hovering about fifteen feet above the air. She recognised it instantly. It was a portal. But as she stood there is began shrinking rapidly. It was closing after whatever had travelled through. She didn't know whether whatever it was had been coming or going but she didn't see any fires built up or any other equipment that could have been used. All that showed there ever had been another person in this clearing in the past year was the trail trodden into the grass heading back toward another part of the cemetery. So she assumed this ... thing had come from somewhere else.  
  
When the portal finally disappeared with something resembling a television turning off Issie considered forgetting it all and going home. Not she had stopped the constant movement her body was reminding her it was past 2am. But the restless feeling she was getting off the trees around her was unsettling. So she trusted her gut and followed the rough track whatever it was had left.  
  
As she walked through the trees she listened for any movement around her. If it was a big ... thing she would be able to hear it as it couldn't have gotten far since the portal had only just closed behind it. For some reason her stomach was doing flips. The balls of her feet were itching and energy had suddenly started crackling right down her legs, begging her to run. 'Oh well, the faster I catch up with our visitor the faster I can go home.' So she gave into her body's insistence and broke into a steady jog, calling upon everything she had learnt from Legolas so she could tread lightly. She hardly made a sound as she swiftly weaved in and out of the trees, silently following the new arrival.  
  
Within very few minutes she broke out of the woods into the moonlit cemetery, pausing to get her bearings. And when she did she heard a sound she recognised well. A fight. A spark of anticipation ignited at the base of her spine and ran through the rest of her body, ending with a fizz at the tips of her fingers and toes. Turning toward the sound she jogged toward it, slipping the dagger from her belt in preparation. Whether she was welcome or not, there was no way they could stop her crashing this party.  
  
Rounding a corner she skidded to a halt nearly falling on her butt.  
  
No. She'd seen wrong. It was a trick of the light and they had been moving too fast. She had to have seen wrong because what she thought it had been was impossible. There was no way ...  
  
Looking back at the fight she had heard she totally ignored the vampire and focused of his opponent. Her stomach gave a heave and the ground beneath her started rippling. But now she knew her eyes weren't deceiving her.  
  
With a flash of blond hair Legolas delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the vampire's head and sent him spinning to the ground. Once he had gotten to his feet he kicked him again in the stomach before punching him hard in the face. The vampire staggered back a few paces but recovered quickly and effectively blocked the next attacks. After delivering a few of his own he finally landed a lucky punch in the elf's abdomen making him double over in pain. He grabbed hold of Legolas' head and slammed his face into the vamp's uprising knee. He grunted and dropped to his knees, putting his hands on the ground to steady his balance. The vampire kicked him again in the chest then wasted no time in dragging him back up and exposing his neck. Legolas' strong pulse throbbed beneath the pale skin and it drove the vamp mad with hunger. Hearing the thudding of his heart was all the incentive he needed to sink his fangs into the elf's neck.  
  
Issie didn't realise she had moved until headstones were whizzing past her. Her stake was in her hand and she could think of nothing else but staking the son of a bitch that dared feed off her husband. She was hurtling along so fast she didn't have time to formulate a strategy before she crashed hard into them both, flinging all three of them to the ground.  
  
Before she knew what she was doing she had flipped to her feet and rounded on the dazed vampire. She glanced over at Legolas who lay in a barely- conscious heap on the ground and saw he still had a slow but steady stream of blood flowing from the puncture wound. He wouldn't be awake for much longer. Focusing her attention back on the vampire she was nearly shaking with rage as she saw the blood coating his white lips and lost control as a drop of it rolled slowly down his chin. The Slayer launched herself at him with a cry and drove her foot into his chest. He fell flat on his back but rolled before Issie could stake him. He kicked out at her but she just grabbed his ankle. Her grip was like iron as she squeezed and twisted. Beneath her fingers she felt the bone shift and come away but she stopped before it snapped completely. She hadn't been watching the vamp's reaction but she could guess what it had been when she saw red tinted tears in his eyes and his mouth contorted into a snarl. With a sadistic smirk she twisted it a little more just to see his body jump at the agony. Releasing him she stepped back, watching him struggle to his feet.  
  
When he was upright he looked her up and down. "Slayer," he hissed, clearly enjoying the weird lisp fangs gave him. Did he really have that bad a memory, or was he just stupid? She was about to kick his ass and he was trying to sound all smart and tough. He really wasn't worth her wasting her energy on.  
  
Without responding Issie just strode forward, kicked him hard in the groin and drove the stake home. He didn't even have time to scream before his body burst into dust and blew away on the wind.  
  
Isabella took a moment to breathe before turning to the still almost conscious figure laying on the ground. She walked over and dropped to her knees. It was then she really looked at him. It really was him. In some pessimistic part of her brain she had still believed it was someone else. Bit it was definitely him. It was the same hair, the same body and the same green suede breeches with the stitched tear down the left thigh.  
  
With shaking hands she reached out to cup his face. She ran the pads of her thumbs over his cheekbones before wiping away the blood that had run from his nose. At the gentle contact he sighed and opened his heavy eyelids. His eyes were the exact same blue she remembered even though she could tell they were hazy from blood loss. He blinked a few times and he managed to focus in on her face. Looking down at him Issie felt her heart constrict at the ecstasy of it but she was unsure how to respond to this. He stared up at her, examining every part of her face as if for the first time before the corners of his mouth turned up into the tiniest of exhausted smiles. He then let his eyes close with a sigh and surrendered to the temporary oblivion of unconsciousness.  
  
At the sight of him slipping away again Issie nearly panicked and was just tensing to shake him when she heard his soft and steady breathing. The tension left her muscles with a shudder and her overworked mind began running through the events of the past half hour. When she felt an overwhelming rush of emotion begin to creep up on her once again she shut herself off from it. Using a technique she had perfected over the months she forced her emotions into silence and made herself forget what she was doing once again.  
  
Isabella took off her cloak and wrapped it around the elf's chilled body. For once she was glad it had been too big for her. Forcing herself to stay numb, she awkwardly lifted him from the grass and trudged home.  
  
Every day for the past year she had envisioned what it would be like if he came back. But this had not been the reunion she had imagined.  
  
Peter was jerked up from his reading by the front door crashing open and a familiar voice groaning for his help. But when he walked into the hall he hadn't been even nearly prepared for what he was met with. Issie was staggering through the door with a man, wearing nothing but the Slayer's cloak and filthy trousers, draped round her shoulders. Although she was plenty old enough to be engaging in activities such as this the fact that he was unconscious and had a blossoming bruise to his right eye, not to mention various other smaller cuts and bruises, told him things may not be all they appeared.  
  
He rushed forward and closed the door behind them as she dragged the ... elf. It finally twigged in his mind that what he had thought was a man had long blond hair and pointed ears. Noting their similarity to Issie's he concluded they must be one and the same. And, judging my the pained expression he had been briefly allowed to glimpse, he could guess which one it was.  
  
Once Legolas had been taken upstairs into the spare room and Peter had checked on him the Watcher came out onto the landing where Issie was waiting. There was a bruise to her jaw and a small trickle of blood from her nose but she had previously refused help so Peter didn't bother asking again. Minor war wounds weren't the priority now anyway. What he was really concerned about was the wide yet unseeing eyes that stared blankly at the far wall. Her breathing was shallow and shuddering like it used to be and her hands were clenching into fists over and over again.  
  
"It's him, isn't it?" he asked quietly, unsure of the reaction he would receive.  
  
Issie just stood there for a second without responding before her control shattered and her knees gave out, dropping heavily to the ground as the shock of that night overtook her. She was sobbing before she hit the ground.  
  
From somewhere on the other side of the house, Katelin was roused from sleep buy the disturbing sound of her mother's tears and let out a long thin wail of her own.

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Well, there you have it. What do you want to see happen in the next chapter? It's on its way but if you have any requests let me know and I'll try to accomodate you. Review if you love it, review if you hate it, just please review. It tells me there are actually people out there reading this stuff : )


	10. Chapter 10

Hurrah! I got my first flame! It wasn't for this story, thank God! It was for a little one-shot I did. She got so annoyed at me it was funny! It upset me for a few days--hence, no updates--but, after the initial offence that someone could be so utterly bitchy, I found it really hilarious! The thought that someone can got so worked up over something that's just for fun it totally beyond my comprehension. But hey, I'm still here and she can bugger off to wherever crappy reviewers go! Anyway, now my mini-rant is over I can get on with this.

Thanks to all my supportive reviewers and especially Red Gutterflower. Yours was the review after the flame and encouraged me to carry on posting.

This is just a little chapter with a bit more insight into what Issie and Legolas' relationship was like during the quest. Any idea for the next few chapters would be greatly appreciated as my inspiration has decided to take a holiday.

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Chapter 10  
  
Isabella hesitated at the bedroom door. She just stood there and stared at the unconscious figure on the bed. As a precaution Peter had fixed a chain from the bedpost to the elf's wrist. After Issie's account of the night before he wasn't taking any chances with the two women he loved above all others. Apart from the restraints the only thing different about him was the ugly red scar on his neck the vamp had given him. From across the room she stared at it with disgust. She couldn't believe he had done that to him. Well, actually, she could very well believe it. It was what vampires did, after all.  
  
'But it shouldn't have happened!' an insistent voice told her. 'I was right there watching and I should have been able to stop it. I was able to stop it. But I just stood there!' Issie carried on like this for a couple more minutes before she realised she wasn't getting anywhere. This wouldn't make the wound go away so she shut up and dealt with it.  
  
She had stopped crying after about ten minutes, which was quite good for her. After half an hour of trying to sooth Katelin--she wasn't in the best of moods as she could tell her mother was still upset--she had given up and handed her over to Peter, who suggested she go check on Legolas. From downstairs she could hear the baby's restless grizzling as she fought sleep a few minutes longer.  
  
She was scared of going in but she knew she had to. A quiet yet persistent voice in the back of her mind was telling her this was a bad idea but it was drowned out by even louder voices telling her this was what she had been waiting for. So she sighed, balled up her courage and walked to the bed. Without even telling herself to she perched on the edge of the mattress and reached out to touch his face with a trembling hand. The instant she touched him she knew it wasn't the same between them as it was. Although she was glowing inside at just being near him again there wasn't the spark between them there had been when they were first together.  
  
The spark she was thinking about was almost a literal one. Legolas had once explained it to her when he was still trying to convince her of their bond. To begin with when they touched each other there was a jolt of almost dizzying pleasure that ripped through them. This hadn't happened every time but often enough for it to be a memorable event. He had said it was the feeling elves got when their souls made physical contact. She had dismissed it as overactive static. Guess who was the romantic in this relationship.  
  
Her fingertips took on a mind of their own and caressed the familiar contours of her love's face. She traced his high and defined cheekbones, then down along his jaw, then up a little to brush over his lips. At the contact she shivered, remembering what those lips had done to her. She could still taste them. But before she let her mind wander into dangerous territory she jerked back to the present and continued her exploration. Her soft pads ran up his slightly crooked nose and she remembered with a smile how he had broken it. Aragorn had done a good job resetting it and you wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it, or unless you were Isabella.  
  
It had happened during the last few minutes of the battle at Helm's Deep. They had somehow managed to escape the hardest part of the fight unscathed but Issie had been thrown from her horse not five minutes before Theoden claimed victory over Saruman's army. As all other warriors were mounted she was pretty much fighting alone. But instead of staying on his horse where he was relatively safe Legolas swung down to help her. They had been fighting back to back but an Uruk-Hai was beginning to get the better of her. Anticipating a blow to the face, Issie had ducked with a gasp. Legolas, hearing her, looked back over his shoulder just in time to get punched in the face.  
  
He'd had a sense of humour about it though. And he put up with the relentless teasing he got from Gimli and Aragorn. She wondered if he would have the same patience and sweetness about the bite. Somehow she doubted it.  
  
Moving on she examined every other part of his beautiful face, recalling the times and places he had received a couple of other scars, then she contented herself with running her fingers gently through his hair. She was tempted to braid it again while he was still out but decided against it. Maybe when he was better.  
  
Again she had a flashback of the two of them together. They had been at Edoras the morning they were to leave for the Paths of the Dead. The night before Legolas hair had ahem fallen out of its plaits and while they were dressing Issie had offered to redo them for him. But when she hadn't taken the polite 'no' for an answer they had ended up play-wrestling and laughing so loud they didn't hear Aragorn calling them until he had to come over to the bed and physically separated them. She had a feeling that if he hadn't come in they wouldn't have left their room for the rest of the day.  
  
Issie waited beside him for another hour before he stirred. The moment he moved she sucked in a breath and couldn't bring herself to release it. She watched him test the movement in his neck and her gut twisted in guilt as he winced in pain. 'I should have got to him faster!' she thought again but her thoughts silenced the moment he opened his breathtaking blue eyes. For a few seconds he just blinked to get his vision back to normal. But when he finally did he looked confusedly round the room then focused on her. He frowned and Isabella felt the first real stab of alarm. He then slowly tried to sit and noticed the chain on his wrist. Issie stared at him apologetically and was about to reach for the keys when Legolas spoke.  
  
It wasn't so much that he had spoken that froze her in her tracks. It was what he said that made alarm bells ring deafeningly loud.  
  
"Who are you?"

* * *

Sorry at my sad attempt at a cliffhanger. I know it's painfully obvious that that's what he was going to say but I can't think of anything to come after :)

Anyhoo, if you want to flame me ... why the Hell have you read this far into it you sad sad person? If you want to tell me how to improve please do! I need all the help I can forget. If you are just out there and am liking what I do then let me know. It boosts my ego and encourages my inspiration to come home. And stops it using my credit card!

Okay, I'm nuts. Ignore me and I'll probably have calmed down by the next update. Hopefully.


	11. Chapter 11

Well, I'm slowly running out of steam for this story. I've done the easy bit but I could really do with some help for the next few chapters. Any ideas would be appreciated. As you can probably guess I didn't think this through very well before I started posting. Sorry for that!

But anyway, I got a few more flames for my other story! Goodie. Okay, I get the fact that it sucks!Stop yelling at me! Now I'm just leaving it up there to annoy the flamers. But I still haven't had a bad review from someone that has actually posted anything. All my bad reviews are annonymous. Am I the only one that gets that?

This chapter is only short and uneventful because I couldn't think of anything else to write for it. I'm _really_ trying to get back into it but I think it might take a little while so bear with me. I'm not going to just abandon it, I promise.

* * *

Chapter 11  
  
"He doesn't remember anything?"  
  
"Not a thing," Issie said tiredly.  
  
After a difficult conversation, where Isabella gave as few half truths and white lies as possible without telling the _whole_ truth, she had removed Legolas' restraints and left him to rest then walked unsteadily down the stairs. She had found Peter stretched across the sofa with Katelin resting peacefully in his arms. She returned the baby to her room with slightly shaking hands, pausing at Legolas' door and for a brief moment considering introducing her to him. But she had instantly dismissed this idea. It would be too painful for her and he would see it clearly in her face. And she was too drained to deal with that.  
  
She had let Peter sleep, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and worried lines across his brow. Tonight had been hard on all of them it seems. But she had found no rest that night. She paced the kitchen being able to think of nothing but Legolas and what his return could mean for them all. Hours had passed slowly as Issie found it impossible to shut her mind down. How she wished to retreat into dreams and escape for a little while. But, as with the rest of her life, it refused to cooperate.  
  
When Katelin had stirred not long after dawn Issie let out a deep sigh of relief. The only other sound had been the light padding of her feet on the tiled floor. She had been almost desperate for something to calm her mind. And her daughter never failed to do that.  
  
"Hey, Katie," she cooed. "How are you this morning? Feeling better? Sorry I was so grouchy earlier. But you forgive me, don't you." She was met with outstretched arms and a gurgle. "I'll take that as a 'yes' shall I?"  
  
A few hours later Peter had walked into the kitchen looking somewhat rumpled. Issie slid a mug across to him and smirked at how he grimaced. He hated black coffee. Then they had started the talk.  
  
"What did you tell him?" Peter asked in response to this new and devastating turn of events. He didn't like to think about what this could mean for Issie's sanity. Having him gone was one thing, but she had learnt to deal with that. Having him gone but his body still walking and talking was more than he felt she could bear.  
  
"What _could_ I tell him? All I told him was as close to what happened last night as I could manage. I said I'd seen him fighting a man who was attacking him. Once he had, uh, left I brought him back here. He asked about the chains and I said that after seeing how well he could fight I wasn't taking any chances. I'm trying to keep everything as simple as possible so ... so maybe I can start ... introducing the truth ... gradually," she ended uncertainly.  
  
Their time together had ended so suddenly that there had been so much Issie had wanted to say, so much she wanted to hear him say. But now he was back with her again and she still couldn't tell him any of what her heart was crying. When they had talked that night she had been screaming inside. All she had wanted to do was throw her arms around him and never let him go. But she couldn't. Because he didn't know who she was. In a way she wished he had never come back.  
  
She instantly regretted that thought. Maybe the memory loss was just a temporary condition after being brought back. Maybe it had something to do with being bitten and the blood loss had encouraged it. There were so many things it could have been caused by. She was stupid to give up on it so soon.  
  
Peter rubbed his eyes tiredly. Last night's sleep had done little to recharge his batteries and he still felt as drained as before. This conversation was helping not at all.  
  
"I think you should wait before telling him any more than necessary," he said. "We cannot know what he will do with this information. As much as you will deny it he may use it to take advantage of you." Issie began to protest but Peter carried on. "I know the Legolas you knew would never hurt you that way. But he isn't the Legolas you knew. He can't remember just how much he loved you and he has no idea that his presence has turned your world upside down. As far as he knows you are complete strangers and there is no reason for him not to. So be careful about what you disclose." Then came his real concern. "And keep him away from Katelin."  
  
Issie's head snapped up and she felt the air stolen from her lungs. But she had already thought about this and wouldn't disagree with Peter as much as her heart was telling her he was wrong. She wouldn't risk any harm coming to her daughter no matter how stupid the fear may seem. So she just sighed and nodded. She had a feeling that the next few days were not going to be happy ones.

* * *

Short and stupid I know. Nothing happens and I hope I haven't disappointed too many people. Review if you want me to update. I'm still going to write but if nobody's reading I won't post anymore. Let me know you're out there cos I can only go by reviews.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Legolas hesitantly opened the bedroom door and peered into the hallway. Although he had nothing to compare it to he was acutely aware of how strange his surroundings were. Something inside was telling him he had never seen anything like this before. He listened and heard movement downstairs, Issie and Peter having breakfast. And then he caught a sound he hadn't expected. The quiet happy gurgle of a baby.

Although nervous in his unfamiliar surroundings he had felt no threat coming from the woman who had spoken to him last night so he let curiosity get the better of him and slowly made his way downstairs. As he went he stared at the pictures on the walls and softly swept his hand over the coat draped over the banister at the bottom of the stairs. It was made of a strange material he was sure he had never encountered before but was soon distracted from this by a scent that wafted up from the fabric.

Legolas knew that scent. For a moment his mind was somewhere else with someone he knew. He couldn't see where he was or who he was with but he knew he wanted to stay there with whoever it was. But footsteps in the kitchen loosened his grip on the familiarity and he soon lost it completely. He suddenly felt slightly shaken and pushed aside the disturbing feeling, forcing himself to approach the half open door. He pushed it open and uncertainly looked around the comfortable room, suddenly painfully aware of two pairs of eyes staring intently at him.

Issie's heart leapt into her throat as the door swung open to reveal Legolas stood in the doorway. For a split second all the love and longing showed clearly in her eyes and her breath caught painfully in her chest. But she yanked her self-control back where it belonged and concealed all her inner feelings, showing only the bare minimun of emotions in her dark brown eyes. She couldn't let him see how much just looking at him hurt her.

So he had no idea that, as Peter invited him to sit at the counter in the center of the room, Issie's heart was racing and her gut was twisting over and over. As he sat there he had no idea what to do or say. But his eyes were drawn to the baby sat on Issie's lap across the table from him.

She was playing with a plastic spoon, alternating between sucking on it and banging it on the counter top, flicking strings of baby drool across the surface that had been clean until she attacked it. She had a look of concentration on her face and was blowing bubbles when her mouth wasn't otherwise occupied with the spoon. She seemed to be focusing intently on how she wanted to move her arm and where she wanted the spoon to go. It was clear she hadn't been playing this game for long as she smeared the spoon across her face in an attempt to get it into her mouth.

When the baby looked at him however her eyes lingered on his face, examining him, weighing him up for possible playmate material, the spoon game forgotten for the time being. Legolas found himself staring back, fascinated. He felt his mouth curve into a small smile and watched with enjoyment as the baby smiled back at him, banging the spoon excitedly on the counter and giving out a spit-filled gurgle.

So, there he was! She had been wondering when he was going to turn up. Katelin knew who he was instantly. 'So now Mummy is going to be happier. Daddy's come home.' The link between mother and daughter was just as strong as it had been when she was still in the womb and Katelin recognised the feelings coming off Issie in waves. The strongest of all was love so it had to be him. And, although neither Issie nor Legolas knew of this, there was always a similar connection between children and their fathers too. There was no doubt in Katelin's young mind.

This silent discussion Katelin was having with herself went totally unnoticed by the others in the room. Legolas was distracted by Peter offering him food and drink, Issie was distracted by Legolas walking and talking, something she hadn't seen in far too long, and Peter wasn't really paying much attention to Katelin anyway. So she sat there quietly, happily thinking about how much better her life was going to be now her father was here with them.

* * *

It was okay that he didn't remember her. It really was. 

That was all Issie could let herself think through that first day. And in a way it was true. She was just so relieved to have him back it didn't really matter that there was no recognition in his eyes when he passed her in the hallway or looked at her from across the table. Just looking at him and hearing his voice soothed her soul and calmed her nearly obliterated spirit. But there was still that nagging part of her mind that was screaming, 'What's wrong with you?! Why don't you remember?!' And that part was the part that drove her out on early patrol as soon as the sun went down.

She had spent hours with Legolas that day showing him around the house and teaching him how to use everything. Seeing the expression on his face when Issie turned on the television is one I'll leave to your imagination but it had the Slayer in stitches for a good fifteen minutes. Then there was the moment he tried to take the radio apart to see who the voice belonged to. He had been introduced to cars, bicycles, the evil yappy dog that lived in the garden nextdoor and had somehow dug a hole under the fence and tried to chew a chunk out of his trouserleg, and various other terrifying things that existed in and around Issie and Peter's London home. And he had taken to them all surprisingly well.

But Issie had spent the whole day making the conscious effort not to mention anything about their life together and definitely not using any endearments they had once shared. She even had to stop herself saying anything to him in elvish. She didn't want to take any risk of him asking any question she wasn't up to answering. And it was staggering to think about how much physical effort it took not to run her hand down his back, touch his hair or lace her fingers through his.

All this had taken its tole and by that evening she was emotionally exhausted but physically so restless she could barely sit still for more than thirty seconds at a time. So she had to get out of that house to burn off some energy. And kicking the living daylights out of a few newborns seemed like the perfect way to do that. As soon as she could, she grabbed her jacket and a few stakes, told Peter not to wait up and headed out the door.

Legolas was sad to see Issie had gone out. He wanted to talk to her properly. All day they had been making idle smalltalk about unimportant things. He would ask questions about something to do with her world and she would answer. It didn't seem like she held anything back but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with their impersonal relationship. It felt like they should be closer than that. But he didn't know why.

He had brushed it off at the time but now she was gone he found he missed her presence. There was something so familiar about the sight and sounds of her just being in the same room it made everything he looked at now seem completely alien to him once again. But he couldn't figure out why and it was frustrating him more than not remembering where he even came from.

Over the next few hours he watched television and looked at books, trying to familiarize himself with the world he now found himself part of. But his mind kept wandering back to that pair of sparkling brown eyes, that big smile and that laugh that warmed his entire being. He found himself impaciently fidgeting and wondering what to do with himself until Issie came home. Before long he had started to pace and was too relieved for words when he heard a welcome distraction. Katelin had woken up and was grizzling.

Legolas knew Peter wouldn't be able to hear her as he had not long ago nipped down into the basement. So without a second thought the elf jogged through the house and up the stairs to the baby's room. He poked his head round the door first just incase she settled back down on her own but it didn't take long for him to realize that wasn't going to happen. So he quietly approached the cot and smiled down at the little girl.

Seeing she was moments from getting her own way she increased her cries and stretched her hands out toward her father. He obeyed her not-so-silent request and reached down to pick her up. When she was comfortably cradled against his chest she instantly silenced her grizzling then wriggled until she was settled against his steadily beating heart and just let herself enjoy the closeness of the man that had been missing from the first year of her existence. Within minutes the soft thudding had lulled her back to sleep.

Katelin was totally oblivious to the odd sensations her presence was bringing up inside Legolas. The moment he held her and felt her little hands grip onto him he felt a calmness sweep over him that he knew he had never felt before. He looked down at the dozing baby and was filled with peace and love and... pride? It was understandable that a young child could bring about the former two emotions. But the latter? Why would he be feeling such possessive pride over a babe he had known for such a short space of time?

He held her securely in one arm while his other hand ran gently over her head, caressing the soft, dark hair. He had seen her eyes and he was struck by how blue they were. And her pale skin held not a single blemish. She seemed to almost glow in the half-light. The tips of his fingers swept over her soft face, taking in her delicate features that seemed so familiar. Without thinking Legolas allowed his gentle touch to stray to Katelin's ear and she started at the sudden disturbance. She frowned and stirred just enough to open her eyes and look up at him.

She looked so much like Issie it was clear she was her mother. But there was something else in Katelin's face that was even more familiar. There was something about her that reminded him strongly on himself. Then realization hit him so hard he felt his breath leave him in a rush and was unable to draw it back in. He knew that face, the young innocent face staring up at him with love and trust. He knew. He couldn't explain how he knew, he just knew.

This was his child. His and Issie's child. But how could that be? He had never been here before, he was sure. And Issie had said nothing of his past. So he just assumed they had never met before. But now he thought to examine their interactions over the day he recalled occasionally seeing something in her eyes. It was too muddled to name and had lasted no more than a moment so he had dismissed it without trouble. But it now stood out clearly in his memory. And that scent from this morning. It had washed over him a few more times that day. And each time he felt his mind so close to uncovering something vital but a distraction snatched it away before he could properly grasp it.

At the time the rush of familiarity had blinded him to his surroundings but now he looked back it had always been when Issie was close. Not every time she was close, but whenever he was touched by that overwhelming sensation she had just walked past him or was stood close to him. But his mind had been so overloaded he hadn't even noticed the now painfully obvious connection. But he saw it now.

Downstairs the front door slammed and two pairs of footsteps could be heard. Issie was home.

* * *

Peter came up from the basement to greet her and she smiled that strained smile she had been wearing all day. The emotional stress was slowly wearing her down he could see. But he also knew that just having Legolas near her was making the weight easier to bear. Her yearning for him was clear as soon as she started walking down the hallway. Her eyes scanned the livingroom from the doorway and saw he wasn't there so she walked straight past Peter into the kitchen. Only someone as close to her as Peter would notice the slight slump to her shoulders when she saw he wasn't there either. 

"Where's Legolas?" she wanted to ask but instead she just asked, "Was Katelin alright while I was out? She wasn't disturbed by the new person in the house?" It had been a concern that she wouldn't settle while there was an unfamiliar person around.

Peter shook his head. "No, she was fine. I only heard her start to fret a little a few minutes ago but she seemed to quieten down on her own. Other than that I haven't heard a peep out of her." Deciding to answer her unspoken question he added, "Legolas didn't seem to know what to do with himself while you were gone. I suppose he went up to his room. It is after midnight, afterall."

Surprised, Issie looked at her watch with raised eyebrows. "Wow. I didn't think I'd been gone that long. It only felt like an hour or two. Huh. Who'da thunk?" She shrugged then said, "Okay, well, I think I'm just going to go take a peek in at Katie then turn in myself. Goodnight, Peter."

She walked upstairs and heard Peter mumble something about getting some shut-eye and he had almost caught up with her when she eased Katelin's bedroom door open. When she caught sight of her soul mate tenderly holding their baby girl she felt her heart constrict with mixed emotions. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered Peter standing behind her looking over her shoulder. Then Legolas raised his eyes from gazing at Katelin to stare at Isabella and the Slayer felt her blood run cold. In his eyes she saw confusion and anger but above all accusation.

The Watcher, seeing the cold stare Legolas was fixing Issie with felt a stab of worry. "Issie, what's wrong? What's happened?"

She just uttered two little words but they spoke volumes. Contained within those two syllables was all Peter needed to hear.

"He knows."

* * *

Wow! It's been one hell of a long time, hasn't it? Months and months. But you will be pleased (I hope) to know I'm back. I'm sorry for vanishing on you but real life kind of forced everything fictional out of my mind for a while. I've already told one or two of you what's been going on. It was quite a change from the days of endless nothing it had been up until the end of July. For starters I tried to start an Apprenticeship in motor mechanics. That in itself was enough to nearly put me into a coma. I had no idea it was going to be so much hard work!Lol : ) Anyway, that didn't work so after two months I went back to college and since the beginning of October I've been doing the full time mechanics course. Much better! And great fun! Oh, and add onto all that the mini-soap opera I've been living with my social life (falling for one of my best friends) I didn't really have much time or motivation for writting this. 

But fear not. I have pulled myself together, organised my time and am in the process of forcing myself to get over the guy (useless, smelly creatures, the lot of 'em!Lol ). So I should be writting an awful lot more now. Thanks for all the great reviews. Although I wouldn't have stopped writting, they were what made me want to post my stuff again. After being turned down (sniff) I didn't really feel worth a whole lot. So thanks! Keep 'em coming. Any requests for the next chapter?


	13. Chapter 13

Well, here we are. I'm sorry again for the wait but various things were getting in the way. Namely, my stepfather who insisted on being in the office whenever I wanted to use the internet. Bummer. But never mind. Chapter thirteen is up and running. I hope you like it cos I'm not all that sure about it. Give me any tips if you feel I need them, but be nice. I'm trying my best : ) Lol

Thanks for all the reviews and emails etc. I've been getting. They're my inspiration. I neeeeeed them! So if you're reading amd haven't reviewed yet, please let me know you're there. Boost my ego and feed my muse. You know you want to!Lol.

Anyway, I'm gona shut up now and let you get on with the next chapter. To be honest, even as I sit here writting this I can't remember what I actually put in this one!hahaha! But I'm sure you'll let me know if it's absolute crap, won't you. Of course you will!

Ok, I really am shutting up now.

* * *

Chapter 13 

For what felt like far too many moments Issie just stood there and stared, wondering what the hell to do or say to make Legolas stop looking at her like she betrayed him. Irrational thoughts and fears started running through her mind and for a minute she thought she was going to cry.

'What if he won't forgive me? What if he wants to leave? What if he tries to take Katelin?' That last one was enough to snap her out of her frozen state and without even realising she had moved she wanted over to Legolas and gently took Katelin's sleeping form out of her father's arms and placed her gently in the cot. Thankfully he released the baby without a thought; apparently he was only concentrating on Isabella.

As soon as she approached Legolas had been aware of her scent. It washed over him in a soothing wave of comfort and warmth. He knew it so well but he couldn't remember her face going with it. She was so familiar but that only made it all the more frustrating. It was right there, he could feel it but he couldn't reach it.

She should have told him! He had the right to know and it could help so much to know that he should be struggling to remember instead of brushing it off as hopeful optimism and an overactive imagination. And he was angry at her for holding that back from him. Was she ever going to tell him? He didn't know how there relationship had been before the memory loss. Maybe this was a convenient way to get rid of him without trouble. Just feed him a pack of lies until he's able to cope then send him off on his own.

But even through the anger he could feel something inside him telling him it was never like that between them. It was only a small voice speaking from the back of his mind but now he was going to make himself listen to it. At least for now. At least until he had heard what she had to say to him. Then he would decide which voice to believe.

Issie was very aware of Peter's tense presence behind her and in a way it was making her more anxious. Turning her head she looked at him with wide eyes but forced her voice to sound confident when she said, "It's okay, Peter. You can go to bed now. I'll deal with this."

He hesitated, torn between knowing she was capable and wanting to protect her from any potential harm. The fact that she was a Slayer didn't mean she would fight anything. If he had learnt anything about these two and their past relationship, he had learnt that Legolas could beat her black and blue but she wouldn't lay a hand on him in her defence. In a year she had only hit him once. And he knew it would take more than this to make her do it again.

"Peter, go. I want some privacy, okay?" She saw him nod reluctantly then he was gone and she was alone with Legolas. At her sides her hands were shaking so she stuffed them in her pockets. She knew she had to talk to him but she had no idea what to say, where to start. How do you begin telling someone about their entire life? To be honest she wasn't entirely sure about most of it. She only really knew about the quest and their relationship together. But they were so personal and so precious to her she didn't want to have to dissect them to try and get him to understand. Their time together had been more than she could ever have hoped for. To explain it and to try and define it was to take away the magic that helped to make it what it was.

But maybe she wouldn't have to. They had known each other better than they knew themselves so maybe he would see and leave her be, let her keep this one. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for not telling you from the start but I didn't know what else to do." He just stood there watching her with a look on his face that said, 'What kind of a dumb-ass excuse is that?' "Well, how would it have sounded, do you think? You wake up having no idea who or where you are and you have a complete stranger in your face telling you you're married with a baby girl? I didn't want any pressure on you. And I… I don't think I could have coped with you saying you didn't believe me, with you… denying what we had." The last part faded into a whisper and a sigh. Her shoulders sagged, her eyes dropping to the carpet and she waited for a response from him, any response to let her know he had taken in what she had said.

Legolas stood there numb for a second, only one piece of information really sticking in his mind. "We are married?" he asked quietly, his eyes softening and losing their harsh stare. After seeing the pain in her eyes it was clear she was telling the truth. At his question she raised her eyes again to look up at him. They were round and dark and so very sad. As he looked at her face and she looked back at his he felt the weight of her emotions pressing down on him. And, after what appeared to be a moment of indecision, she allowed him to see everything she had been keeping hidden.

Deep inside he felt his heart break for them both. There was so much love and longing. And pain. Even as he stood there looking into her eyes he could see her soul bleed for missing him. As this hit him he felt a wave of frustration and anger that totally overtook every other before it. Why couldn't he remember?! Issie stood not three feet in front of him almost in tears and he so much wanted to make it better but… he didn't know what to do or say. The sensible part of his mind was telling him that nothing was going to help her. But the more dominant part was ruled by his heart and his heart was telling him to hold her.

So he did. He hesitantly approached, aware of her questioning gaze, then slowly wrapped his arms around her. His movements were so careful it was like he was asking permission with his body. And he felt her acceptance when she gave a shudder and let herself melt into him.

When he came toward her Issie had tensed. She didn't know what to expect but something in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat. She hadn't seen that look since Helm's Deep. She knew it wasn't the same but for a moment she saw her husband staring back at her. The next thing she knew she was enveloped in a blissfully familiar embrace that threw her back in time to when life was very nearly perfect. His scent invaded her senses and the strong, steady pound of his heart drummed comfortingly against her chest. The gentle brush of his hair across her cheek and the soft skin of his neck and shoulder cushioning her face was so well remembered she felt her heart start to break all over again. She squeezed her eyes closed and struggled to control her runaway emotions. He had no idea what he was doing to her.

Without even realising it her eyes began to sting behind their lids and before she knew what was going on she was crying, quiet sobs and whimpers making her whole body tremble. Her arms came round his shoulders and her fingers touched his hair and stoked down over his back before coming back up and gripping hard like she never wanted to let go. He was holding her so tenderly, just like he used to, whether he realised it or not. She felt a stab of hope when he lowered his head and buried his face in her wavy hair. One hand came up and cupped the back of her head and his other fisted in her shirt at the small of her back. He gently rocked her as she cried but the annoying, insistent voice in her mind kept reminding her that this didn't mean he knew her. If anything he was just doing this because he thought it was what she wanted.

But she was wrong. For the last part anyway. He didn't remember but… something in him was responding to her touch, her nearness. When he nuzzled into her hair and inhaled her scent he felt his eyes try to roll back at the ecstasy of it. He pulled her closer and knew now without reservation just how close they had been. He could feel it in the way she clung to him, in the way her soft curves arched into him and seemed to fit so perfectly, the way his entire body tingled at the soft caresses of her fingertips and the way he recognised the warm stirring inside him. It felt so right to want her this much, to need her so desperately. He didn't want to let her go; not ever.

But he knew he had to when the hand behind her head started to wander, to trail its fingers down her spine, past his other fisted hand and over the soft curve of her backside. It seemed to know its way round her body even if his brain didn't. Thoughts began to hit him. Not memories but… knowledge. He knew the skin beneath her clothes was smooth as silk and her hands touching him would feel so blissful she could make him forget to breathe. In fact, with the way his body responded to this thought, he knew she had done this many times. And he wanted her to do it again. He barely knew anything about her but something was telling him she could make him feel like no other could.

Issie's cries slowed as she felt a change in him, his right hand exploring while his left held her firmly in place. Then she sucked in a breath as she felt his body start to arch and almost grind against her; just enough movement to spark her awareness. No. No, this couldn't be happening. He couldn't be offering her this. It had been so long and if he pushed her just a little she wouldn't be able to hold back. Then Peter's words came back to her. 'He may use it to take advantage of you.' Although she wouldn't allow herself to believe that this was the case she couldn't let anything happen here. Peter had been right. This wasn't the Legolas she knew. As much as it broke her heart to admit it, she wasn't holding her husband. She couldn't betray him like that.

So, with a dull ache throbbing in her chest, Issie lifted her head and made to step away from him. For a moment she felt resistance as he pulled her closer and a stab of alarm startled her. She stared into his eyes and saw a decidedly predatory gleam in their sapphire depths. The hand was back behind her neck and his gaze swept over her face before settling on her slightly parted lips. Just as he started to move in Issie tore her eyes away and turned her face to the side. "I can't," she whispered, the words causing her almostphysical pain as they were wrenched from her throat by strength of will alone. Legolas sighed and allowed her to move away from him. She still stood close, her body still brushed his, and she tried to give a watery smile. Seeing her struggle Legolas wiped the teardrops from her cheeks and smiled back at her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered not trusting her voice enough to use it fully. Looking into his face when she pulled back had been like a punch in the gut. There was nothing of her husband looking back at her now. Of course there was his desire gleaming in his too-blue eyes, she had been on the receiving end of that gaze too often to not recognise it as him, but there was none of the love they had shared. With supreme effort she swallowed the desire to go back to her room and wallow in self pity and said in as steady a voice as she could manage, "I suppose you have some questions you want answering."

Legolas was still reeling from how close they had been and how close he had felt to knowing her but he still managed to hear her words and nod. She took his hand and he allowed her to lead him out of Katelin's room and down the stairs. They went into the kitchen in silence and he watched her walk round the room as she made them both coffee then led him through to the front room.

As Issie settled down on the couch she was struck with a thought. This was going to be the second sleepless night in a row. No wonder she gave into the subconscious need for caffeine.

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Well? What do you think? I'm sorry not much happened in this chapter but it was the right place to break between chapters, I felt. But do not despair!Lol. The next one is in the pipeline so I should have it up soon.

Give me any suggestions you may have and I'll be grateful. I know roughly where I'm heading with this but I'm not sure how much I should put between this chapter and the last few chapters I have (kind of) planned. If you have any ideas of what could happen to them before he gets his memory back I'd love to hear them! So drop us a line and make my day... my year, even. : )


	14. Chapter 14

Hi, all! I'm back. And I've got two chapters here now. They've been sat in their floppy-disc for about a week and for some reason, since I'd saved them I assumed I'd uploaded them. Silly me forgot that I actually hadn't got around to it yet.

There was that and I've been preoccupied with a 'Troy' fic I'm trying. I won't post it till it's done though. _I can't handle the pressure!_Lol! Kidding! I love the pressure. It keeps me writing. As do all your great reviews.

Thanks loads for the feedback! If it wasn't for that I wouldn't know you were out there and I wouldn't have got this far. Not to mention the fact that without a couple of you giving me the idea one of my previous chapters would have completely sucked! So thanks for that again, and keep the reviews coming. The more of you I hear from the more motivated I am with my writing.

So here we go with chapters 14 and 15. I hope you enjoy them and let me know what you think. Love'n'Hugs!... Nev.

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Chapter 14

Legolas sat in the armchair across from her and waited expectantly. He could feel the tension coming off her in waves but she made no move to break the awkward silence. The almost suffocating pressure was growing and he anxiously took a swallow of his drink. Now it came down to it he wasn't sure he wanted to know. There was something almost comforting about ignorance. As he was he had no responsibilities, no pressures and nothing pushing him to make any kind of decision. But as soon as found out about his past he would be faced with all kinds of decisions that needed to be made. Did he really want that?

Then he looked over at Isabella's pale, almost frightened face and he knew he had to. It wasn't just his life this was affecting. And, odd as it seemed to him, he felt a connection to this young woman. Although it shouldn't really be strange, should it? They had obviously been close to say the least. The emotions he had seen in her just minutes before would have been enough to convince him that even without Katelin's existence proving the point.

The silence was driving Issie mad. The hands that grasped her mug so firmly were shaking and she started anxiously drumming her fingertips on the ceramic surface. After a good few minutes she had to say something, anything, to stop him staring at her. So she launched into her explanation without really thinking about it.

"Your name is Legolas Greenleaf. You and I are elves. You come from the woodland realm of Mirkwood. Your father is King Thranduil . I don't know who your mother is. You never mentioned her and when I finally met your father it never really occurred to me to ask. As far as I know you're nearly three thousand years old. You were a skilled archer and a formidable warrior. I should know. I sparred with you often enough to know there's not a chance in hell of me ever beating you." She smiled at the memories that came to mind and the corner of Legolas' mouth curved upward slightly, but he was too distracted to smile fully. "That's all I really know of your life before we met. When we were together we were on a dangerous quest that dragged us both far from our homes and it seemed like tempting fate to talk about it. When we were first getting to know one another you described your culture to me but it was such a foreign and unfamiliar concept that I have forgotten much. My descriptions and explanations would only confuse you further." She paused there and watched his face as he took in this information. His brow was furrowed in concentration and he stared with unseeing eyes at the dark blue carpet.

'Legolas Greenleaf.' He thought the two words over and over in his head, testing them out before nodding to himself. That was an acceptable enough name and he had no trouble with everything else she had said. For some reason it all seemed to make sense. Although he could remember none of it he could easily take it in and it seemed perfectly natural to him. Even though the memories wouldn't come he could feel they were in there somewhere. He just needed to find a way to access them. And he hoped that would come in time.

He looked up at Issie and sighed. His early life wasn't what was really concerning him at the moment. What he really wanted to know was how things had been between himself and Isabella. That was the foremost question in his mind. "Tell me about us," he requested gently.

Issie sighed and dropped her eyes to her lap, stared at the hand that had once worn her wedding ring. It had been so beautiful she had almost kept it. But looking at it had done more harm than good and she had left it behind in Mirkwood, planning to retrieve it when she had recovered enough to return. She blinked back tears as she flexed her fingers, missing the soft pressure of the cool white gold against her skin. She sniffed and forced herself to speak once again. "Uh… what do you wish to know?" was all she could manage. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"How did we meet?"

Again Issie smiled at the memory. It seemed so long ago but she remembered it like it was only that morning. "I had just be sent by Peter from my world—here—to your world: Middle Earth. I was dumped in a forest a day or two's walk from Rivendell. That's a beautiful place in Middle Earth where Lord Elrond rules over another city of elves. I don't know much about that place either." She shrugged apologetically and continued. "I picked myself up, dusted myself off and started walking. I don't remember how long I'd been walking but not long after the sun had set I was attacked by orcs; foul creatures that originally came from elves.

"Captured elves had been tortured and mutilated until their hearts were turned black and they were physically unrecognisable as the beautiful creatures they had once been. They were then forced to breed and spawned an entire race of cruel, evil beings that destroyed everything in their path.

"I had already been injured out on patrol the night before so I couldn't fight as well as I had needed to and was nearly killed. You and the company you were travelling with were camping nearby and you heard the fight. I had been almost unconscious when you shot the remaining orcs and took me back to the camp. The next day I joined the company and… the rest is history." She waited patiently for the next question but Legolas was deep in thought. So she just sat quietly and drank her coffee. He would speak when he was ready.

Legolas spent almost ten minutes just sat thinking, letting yet more information sink in and take its place. He knew he should remember this but he just… couldn't. He could picture it all happening and none of it seemed strange in the slightest but it was like she was talking about someone else. Something was keeping him from applying this to himself. There was a barrier between his mind and what he was being asked to accept and, although he could see it and hear it he couldn't touch it; or, more to the point, it didn't touch him. All he felt when he thought over their meeting was relief that someone had got to her in time to stop those orcs hurting her any more. But the 'someone' had been him. It didn't seem real. He couldn't remember.

She could both see and feel he was becoming more than frustrated and wished there was something she could do to help him. Just seeing him distressed made her want to go over to him but… after what had happened in the baby's room it probably wasn't a good idea. Next time she highly doubted she would be able to say no to those eyes. Jerking herself away from very dangerous thoughts she said, "Do you want to leave it at that for now? We can talk some more another time if you want a break. I can appreciate how hard this must be for you." Her voice was low and gentle and she leaned forward in her chair to rest her elbows on her knees. She watched him mull this over before looking at her. She blinked in confusion when she saw how guilty he felt.

Legolas mirrored her position, leaning forward and holding his mug between his palms as he sighed. He dropped his head, his golden hair falling forward to conceal his face, and he squeezed his eyes closed and slowly shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Issie. I'm trying to remember, I really am. But… it's not coming. I can almost feel it there but when I reach for it it's like swimming against the tide. I can't get anywhere." He sounded tired, even to his own ears. And he was. Tired of not knowing, not remembering, not being able to give them both what he felt they needed. Being told to accept something he couldn't remember was like asking him to pretend someone else's life was his own. He couldn't do it.

But, looking across at Issie's compassionate face, he knew he would never stop trying. There was so much love radiating from her he knew that by giving up he would be denying them the chance of something beautiful. He couldn't let himself live without something that had so obviously meant the world to both of them. And there was a child to consider. His child. That in itself was worth all this.

"You said, 'the rest is history.' What did you mean by that? What happened after? You said we were travelling with some others. Who were they and where were we going? Tell me everything." The questions and requests poured out of him. There were so many things, details he hadn't been told and any one of them could trigger memories. He wanted to know it all. He couldn't wait until morning. Selfish as it was, he couldn't stop now he had the chance to find out as much as possible.

For some reason her now emotionally drained brain wouldn't hold out much longer. After the near miss in Katie's room and the anguish on Legolas' face she realised that, stressed as he must be, she had to take care of herself as well. She was a mother first, Slayer second, confused widow third. And to do each of these to the best of her ability she needed to not skip two nights sleep. Seventy-two hours without rest would mean a grouchy Issie, grouchy Katie, injuries out on patrol and less answers for Legolas. All in all it was in everyone's best interests that she went to get some sleep. An idea had promised to save her sanity and, although she knew it was along shot and something a Mary-Sue from one of those fan fictions would do, it was her best bet.

"Legolas, I have to go get something, alright? I'll be right back." Putting her mug down on the table she silently trotted up the stairs and into her room. She opened the wardrobe and dropped to her knees. She pushed aside the polished wooden case that held Thranduil's gift—the portrait of Legolas that hadn't been looked at since she got home—and opened the bag behind it. From inside she pulled three books. 'The Silmarillion', 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings'. All books were well used and the dog-eared pages testified to the fact. She sighed and took a moment to run her fingers over the lettering and flicked the pages, breathing in the faint scent that still clung to the paper. She wished she had never read them. If she hadn't maybe she wouldn't have gone to Middle Earth. She would have been too afraid of the unknown and would have stayed. Or at least would have waited a few days so the Fellowship and orcs would have been long gone before she turned up. Then she wouldn't have met Legolas, wouldn't have gone on that stupid quest and wouldn't have gotten him killed! Then none of them would have even been in this situation and more than likely they would both be happy! Together or apart they would probably both be happy living their lives with nothing even approaching this kind of stress or pressure.

Letting out an angry sigh that bordered on a growl she slammed the books closed and got to her feet. Her frustration made its presence known through the slight stomping of her feet on the stairs as she went down. But as soon as she looked at Legolas sat staring thoughtfully into his mug of coffee like the answers were floating in there somewhere was enough to instantly calm her.

No. She was glad she went. Glad she travelled with him and learned what it was like to be loved so truly, so hopelessly it was like nothing in the world could reach you while you held tight onto him. However wrong that belief had been, it was worth all the suffering they went through and would still go through. She would relive his death a thousand times if, when he raised his head, he looked at her with recognition and love like he had done before.

But within moments he looked at her and she was once again forced to stare into the eyes of a near stranger. She sighed and walked forward, handing him the books and sitting on the floor with her back leaning against she sofa. "I was part of your life for such a short space of time. Anything I could tell you might very well be meaningless. These books don't tell all, but they can tell you far more about your world than I ever could. I never was any good at retelling stories." She smiled and watched him run his eyes over the pages, skimming the words and getting the feel of something she knew to be somewhat different to what he was used to. But with a thoughtful nod he closed the books and put them on the table. "That blue one, 'The Silmarillion,' kind of sets the scene for 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings.' You weren't actually involved in any of it but it covers the Middle Earth creation story and the beginnings of the elves and such. Probably things you were taught when you were growing up. That smaller one, 'The Hobbit', goes into great descriptions about your home and places you may have been. It speaks of your father and your people so I thought it might trigger some memories there.

"That bigger one there is a tale you were directly part of. For the most part anyway. Some of it you may see as unnecessary but while it was going on you were always asking me what the hobbits were getting up to. So now you'll know." She shrugged. "But there's something you should know." Legolas looked at her and waited for her to continue. "I was with you throughout the whole thing, after the Fellowship left Rivendell. I'm not included at all in the books. There isn't one single hint that I was ever there or even that Slayers are a part of Middle Earth at all. I'm not sure quite why, considering it was written as a prophecy by a watcher who had a vision while over there. But the point is our relationship isn't mentioned." She smiled. "Do me a favour. Use the books as well as me for information. I can only tell you so much as my memory has almost as many limits as yours." They both smiled. "So much happened in your life before you met me." She sighed and her face fell. She dropped her eyes to the ground and ran the tips of her fingers over the now empty place where her wedding ring used to lay. "I'm so afraid that, no matter what I do or say, I won't be enough to help you." Her already soft voice faded to a whisper and she fought the tears stinging her eyes. She couldn't cry over this again. She wouldn't.

But an icy hand closed round he heart at the thought that he may very well have to leave her. He might have to leave London and go back to Mirkwood, to his friends and family, before he could remember. He was nearly three-thousand years old so one year travelling with a group of friends wouldn't really stand out. The only thing she had to remind him of his life before was herself. And that was a weapon she wasn't quite prepared to use just yet. It had only been a couple of days after all. 'Give him time,' she told herself as he accepted the books gratefully and said he would begin reading them that night.

"You don't need to be here, Issie," Legolas said when he saw her start to settle back down on the sofa. "If I have any questions about what I read they will wait until the morning. And you look like you could do with rest." The Slayer started to object but he insisted. "Go to sleep. I can't concentrate with you staring at me anyway," he ended with a chuckle.

She laughed back and nodded, giving in to the emotional exhaustion she was beginning to feel overtake her. Unable to help herself she walked over and planted a soft kiss on his brow, breathing him in deeply before pulling away. She bid him goodnight, reminded him not to push himself too hard and silently ascended the stairs.

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Funny. I wrote this when I was tired and I kind of projected myself into her (yes I realise it's a Mary-Sue and that kind of comes with the title). I wanted to go to sleep so I sent her to bed. Odd. hehe! : )


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Peter was the first down that morning. He had insisted, upon meeting Liena in Katelin's room when she had started complaining, that the Slayer go back to bed and he take care of the baby. He came downstairs and saw an unusual sight; one that made him stop in his tracks and tilt his head to the side like a curious dog.

Legolas sat on the sofa, cross-legged, reading intently. He was over halfway through 'The Silmarillion' and didn't look like he was going to be stopping any time soon. He hadn't even glanced up when Peter came down the stairs. His brow was furrowed and he appeared to be concentrating really hard. The watcher could tell he wouldn't appreciate being disturbed and was about to leave him alone when he paused.

Should he give him the book? Should he get involved? Was it wise to give him such a huge thing, something he could use against them all if he decided to? After a few moments thought he decided against it. 'No, let's see what he'll do with the information he has first.'

Peter went to move through to the kitchen when Katelin saw who was sat on the sofa. Heedless of how awkward she was being she leaned toward Legolas, gurgling happily and holding out her arms as she normally did when she wanted Legolas' attention, which was every time she saw him.

Legolas instantly lifted his head and his eyes lit up when they fell on the baby girl. '_My_ baby girl,' he thought to himself with a smile. He got to his feet and walked over. With a glance he knew Peter was watching him warily so he didn't move to take Katelin from him. He just raised his hand and stroked her face tenderly. She grasped his index finger in her chubby little fist and stuffed the tip into her mouth. He tried to pull it free but she was insistent so he left it there.

Peter watched Legolas for any sign that something wasn't right but all he saw was the unconditional love that only comes from being a father. He was unsure for a moment but he moved past the hesitation and held Katelin out to him. The elf looked at him for a second before looping an arm round Katelin and taking her from Peter. The watcher let her go and, when Legolas had settled the baby comfortably in his arms, he gestured to the books on the coffee table. "Issie give you those?" he asked.

Legolas could barely take his eyes from Katelin to give him an answer. "Yes. These books are about my home and the time we had together. But…" He paused, not quite knowing how to say it. "I know there's something missing. The things I'm reading conjure up images in my head impossible to just put down to intelligent writing. I can see the forests and cities so clearly in my head. But the images and thoughts mean nothing to me. It's like I'm reading about someone else's home instead of my own." He sighed, appreciating Peter's look of sympathy. "But all I can do is keep reading, I suppose. The next page could be the one that unlocks it for me."

Katelin was unsatisfied only having her father's divided attention and bit down hard on his finger. As she had no teeth it didn't hurt but it did the task. Legolas smiled down at her and kissed the top of her fuzzy head. But moments later he was listening to Peter again. Inwardly she frowned indignantly. Her father obviously needed help with improving his attention span.

"Uh, I was thinking, Legolas. Maybe it would be helpful if you accompanied Issie on her patrols. Combat might refresh your memory a little. If not it would still get you out of the house and would give you and Issie some time alone without either myself or Katelin getting in the way." Peter waited for his response uncertainly.

Legolas thought about it for a moment. But a moment was all it took. "Of course," he said. "I would enjoy seeing Issie at work. And it would stop me worrying about her all the time." He and the watcher shared a moment of understanding. Although Legolas had only been here a short while they both knew what it was like to worry for her safety no matter how much faith they had in her abilities. It was never good enough when she was out of their sight.

Peter smiled. "I must admit, my motives aren't even nearly as selfless as I try to make them seem. I will be able to rest an awful lot easier knowing a seasoned warrior is out there with her." He gave a wry smile. "I might even stop making myself wait up for her to eventually decide to come home. Ever since she started patrolling on her own I've dreamed of getting to bed before midnight."

The elf smiled and was about to say more when a baby-sized fist-full of hair on his right side was yanked hard. His head was jerked to the side and he hissed in pain, squinting but laughing at the same time. He pulled his hair out from Katelin's strong grip and tickled the side of her face making her smile happily, glad to have her father looking at her again. And he had better not forget who was more important in this household or she was going to do more than pull his hair, she could promise him that.

Legolas gazed down at his daughter and didn't resist when she stuffed his finger back in her mouth and started to suck furiously. He smirked. "You're not going to get anything that way, my love," he cooed. "Let's go get you some breakfast, Katelin." With that he took his finger from her mouth, ignoring her angry grizzle and hitched her up higher against his chest, heading into the kitchen and allowing Peter to show him how to make up bottles of milk to feed her.

Issie came down an hour or so later to the most beautiful and peaceful sight she had ever known. Legolas was sat on one of the chairs by the island, Katelin cradled in one arm while the other propped up an almost empty bottle. She was still feeding contentedly but her hand was fisted in Legolas' shirt like it normally did when she was starting to dose off again. Legolas was gazing down at the little girl with undisguised love and pride so strong it made Issie's heart ache pleasantly. She paused, leaning against the doorway, hoping to take a moment to remember this, to keep it safely tucked away in some secret part of her memory, so it would always be there when she needed something to remind her why her life was worth fighting for. Everything she had ever wanted was right in front of her, just waiting for her.

But, yet again, reality intruded as Legolas noticed her presence. He looked up, having to almost tear his eyes away from the babe, smiling gently at her and examining her face just as she was examining his. She was looking for any change, any recognition at all, and he was looking for her looking for the change. Neither were disappointed.

Legolas knew the instant she started watching him and he knew she was waiting for him to remember. But he still didn't. He could remember no specifics, could conjure up no images or conversations during their time together, but he knew her now. He knew her face and the unexplained feelings he got when he looked at her. They made sense now and he found he could deal with it much easier this way. She had been wrong to keep it from him but it was done with now. It had been dealt with and they had moved on.

Issie saw something different in his eyes this morning. Although she still wasn't looking into the eyes of her husband she knew he had looked at her like that before. It had been not long after they had met when he first started staring at her like that. It was both innocent and penetrating at the same time and made her spine tingle with awareness. Her gut flipped when she thought that maybe, even if he didn't realise it, he was beginning to remember how much they loved each other.

She dared to hope for just a few moments, a dreamy smile pulled at her mouth, before she pulled herself back together and pushed away from the doorway. She said a cheery 'Good morning' to Legolas and Peter and walked over to gently kiss the top of Katelin's head. The baby glanced up at her mother, who was watching Legolas, and wondered why her parents were acting so strangely. She knew that things had been hard for them, what with her father vanishing somewhere before she was born and not returning until the other day, but… surely there should be some outward sign of affection, some sign that they love each other as they so obviously do. But Issie kept pulling back and Legolas wouldn't reach forward.

A frown creased her flawless brow and she stopped feeding, keeping the bottle in her mouth so they didn't realise how closely they were being watched. What was wrong with them? They were gazing into each other's eyes like the rest of the world had disappeared, their faces were so close but neither would make that final move. Katelin wanted to growl in frustration but wouldn't make a sound for fear of breaking the spell that had been cast over them.

A sideways glance showed her that Peter was doing the same. His mug was paused halfway to his lips and he was trying hard not to stare but he couldn't help secretly watching, making sure his girl wasn't hurt in any way, shape or form by this. If she was he would personally make sure this elf never walked again. But he wouldn't interfere in case this just happened to be the moment Legolas was able to remember.

The entire room was deathly silent as the two elves locked eyes, neither even considering looking away. So much was contained behind their eyes the thought of breaking the contact and losing it all was unthinkable. Legolas could see his past reflected in her deep brown orbs, could feel that all he ever needed to know was right there in her. He couldn't reach it but at that moment it didn't seem important. It was right there in front of him and that was enough for now. He found his lips pulling into a tiny smile and felt a thrill go through him when she smiled in return. She couldn't help the warmth spreading through her nor could she resist the pull she felt drawing her into him.

Without even a flicker of doubt Issie started to lean in, her right arm coming to rest on the back of the chair he sat on. Legolas noticed the slight movement and didn't need to tell himself to begin leaning into her as well. They could feel each other's breath brushing over their slightly parted lips. Their breathing quickened in anticipation and they could do nothing but surrender to the intense pull they felt between them. This was right; this was natural. This was unstoppable, whether they wanted it or not. Both wanted it.

Katelin watched with growing satisfaction. 'Ha ha! I knew it would happen eventually.' But then she felt something stirring in her stomach and couldn't believe this was going to happen. 'No. _No!_ Not now! Why do I have to do this now?' She tried and tried to hold it back, to keep it down, but it was impossible. With an internal roll of her eyes Katelin let it go and felt herself give an impressively loud burp.

As she predicted Issie and Legolas jerked back, the moment ruined with that single noise. They looked down at their child, unaware of the baby's infuriated frustration, and Legolas took the bottle from Katelin's mouth. He felt a deep pang of regret when he looked back at Issie and saw the spell was completely broken. She had already stepped back and was turning away from him. He watched her as she walked to the coffee pot, picked up her mug and poured herself some of the hot bitter liquid, not even bothering with milk or sugar and gulped it down. Even from behind he could see her hands were shaking and her cheeks were flushed. When he caught a brief glimpse of her profile he saw she was blinking back tears. But when she turned back all traces of disturbance were gone from her face. She was just as relaxed and composed as she had been.

Inside Issie was kicking herself both for letting it start and for letting it stop. She had been so convinced she saw something of the Legolas she had known. And she so wanted to believe he could come back to her. She knew he could. She could already see he was beginning to see in her what he once had. And maybe that would be enough. Maybe they would just have to start again. Him not remembering didn't make him any less a part of her.

But inside her head she ran over some of the things they had done together, the places they had been, the plans they had made and it hurt her to think that it had all been for nothing. And how would it feel if she gave in now and he got his memory back? She would regret not waiting. No, she couldn't do it. She would keep her distance and try her hardest to help in any way she could but that was all she could give him for now. Frustration was trying to claw to the surface but she wouldn't let it. She couldn't let it. If she did she would hurt more than just herself. So she pushed it aside just as she had done so many times in the past and readied herself to carry on with her day. She did it yesterday, she could do it again.

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Well, that's that for now. Keep the feedback coming and I'll get writing as fast as I can. Saying that... I'll probably forget.Lol! I'll try not to. Keep reviewing and reminding me!!!!!

You'll hear from me soon, I promise. Take care, : )


	16. Chapter 16

I cannot believe I did it again! Twice in a row! I wrote it, I saved it, I took the disc out of the computer and left it on top of the monitor! How stupid an I! Uh... _very_, I think!

But never mind. I've remembered now and can give you the next installment of what has become the bane of my exsistence. But all you reviewers make it so much better! Even if I only get one review per chapter that's still enough to keep writing so thanks for taking the time to let me know you're out there and appreciatingmy efforts. It means a lot!

As always, if you have any sugestions or requests feel free to put them in your reviews cos, although I know where I'm going with this it really needs padding out. Anyway, I'll let you get on with reading as you've been hanging about waiting on this for long enough. Enjoy!

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Chapter 16 

And she did. After breakfast they all sat round the island and discussed what was to be done about Legolas coming with Issie on her patrol that night.

"I know this may sound like a stupid question but I have to be sure," Issie said to Legolas, "How well can you fight? I know you could before but can you remember? How much of that part of you was lost?" There wasn't a chance in hell she was letting him come with her if he wasn't one hundred percent sure he could hold his own.

Legolas hesitated. "I'm not sure. I can't remember the individual fights but I can draw on the experience they left me with. But I don't want to risk diving in without being certain." He could read her expression and knew she was thinking the same thing. "Is there somewhere I can train, to see how much skill I have retained?"

Peter stood from his chair and started clearing up the plates and mugs. "Yes. If you want, Issie can train with you in the basement while I watch Katelin. There are training weapons down there if you need them."

Hearing her name, Katelin opened her eyes from the doze she had slipped into. But no one seemed to be paying that much attention to her and the conversation didn't appear overly important so she wriggled in Legolas' arms to get comfortable again and let herself drift off once more, lulled into rest by the gentle drumming of her father's heart.

Legolas was about to speak his agreement when Issie interrupted him. "Uh… Peter, could you come and train with us both? I've had kind of a rough night and don't feel up to a heavy training session. And Katie sometimes doesn't like it when she can't hear me moving around. We can bring the highchair down for her. She likes watching us train." Her other motive was not lost on Peter. She didn't want to risk being alone with Legolas in case she was put in another situation like the close call minutes before. She didn't feel able to pull away again. She wouldn't have pulled away this morning if Katelin hadn't disturbed them.

He agreed with her and said he would come down with them. But he did wonder at why she would give up the chance to talk with him without outside distractions. There were various reasons she could have but he wouldn't mention any of them. How she wanted to handle her relationship with Legolas was her affair. He would only get involved if it started hurting her more than he felt she could bare. But until then it was none of his business and he would make himself step back.

Training was uneventful. As it turned out, Legolas could still fight as well as he used to and proved this on many occasions throughout the day, taking every opportunity to dump Issie on her arse. After a couple of hours they switched from training weapons to real ones and the metallic ring of clashing blades fell in time to the rock music playing on the stereo. To Peter who was stood off to the side, it looked like they were performing some kind of beautiful dance. They fought so well together that when they were moving in time to the heavy beat it was impossible for one to get the upper hand. And the glint in the elves' eyes showed that neither was thinking overly about winning, just enjoying the moment was enough for now.

But the heavy beat got stronger and heavier as the track began to draw to a close and, caught up in the music, they pushed harder and harder, the moves getting faster and more difficult to block. _Now_ they were thinking about winning.

As the last bars played out Legolas twirled one of the knives in his hands and pivoted on his back foot, turning his body and making a lightning fast slash at Issie's torso, not realising that in the half second he had his back turned Issie wasn't exactly where he had left her. There was a sound of ripping fabric and a startled gasp followed by a clatter as the Slayer's sword fell to the ground. He froze, dropping his blades and staring in wide eyed disbelief at what he had done.

Issie just stood there, eyes wide, mouth open. Then she looked down. Her white t-shirt was sliced open cleanly in a straight line from the neckline above her right breast down to just to the left of her navel. The garment hung open to reveal a now ruined and ineffective sports bra and a thin red line on her skin, tracing the path of the razor sharp blade.

The scratch to her skin stung like you wouldn't believe but that didn't take away just how funny she thought this was. Within seconds she was giggling happily and trying but failing to cover herself with her arms. She looked up at Legolas who was still absolutely mortified.

"Issie, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you alright? I am so stupid! I'm sorry!" He would have carried on like this if Issie hadn't put her hand over his mouth, still laughing.

Her eyes sparkled with mirth and she leaned on him as she started laughing harder. "Legolas, it's fine, really! It's not like I haven't got any other shirts or anything. Chill out."

Legolas gave her an odd look. "Chill out?" What was that? He'd never heard a phrase like that before.

Issie grinned. "Chill out. It means relax, stay calm, don't stress. It's all good." But his puzzled expression only made it harder to stop giggling. And her laughter was infectious. Before she knew it he was chuckling along with her. "But that doesn't mean you are going to get away with it," she added. "You now have to come shopping with me and help me find a new one."

Once Issie had dashed upstairs and yanked on another shirt they continued their training for about another hour before breaking for lunch. There the two parents played with their daughter while they ate and Issie took a little while to sit privately in the living room and feed Katelin. If she didn't relieve the pressure in her milk-filled breasts soon there were going to be embarrassing wet patches on the front of her shirt. Not a good look at all.

With the baby suckling happily and beginning to drift off, Issie let her mind start to drift. The morning activities, fun and exhilarating as they had been, had taken their toll on her mind. Being so close she could feel his skin and smell his hair was driving her crazy. But it was worth it just to be near him again. That didn't stop the dull ache though. And the emotional strain meant she needed a little time to unwind. So her eyes slipped out of focus and she allowed herself some quiet time to dream about what could have been if Legolas hadn't lost his memory.

Movement in the room brought her back and she saw Peter leaning casually against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest. His head was tilted to the side slightly and he had a gentle smile on his face. "That has to be one of the most beautiful sights in existence," he commented softly. "Mother and daughter totally at peace. It's a shame I had to disturb you but, where you planning on continuing your training and, if so, will you be requiring my presence?"

The Slayer thought for a moment. Did she want to risk being alone with him? To be honest she hadn't really noticed Peter was there in the first place so it probably wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference if he vanished. "Uh, if Legolas wants to then I'm quite happy to keep going. But you don't have to stay. It was stupid of me to be so insecure about the whole thing. I over reacted." She offered up a brave smile, even though she knew he understood. "Sorry for taking up all your time this morning. I expect you had other things to do," she added apologetically.

But Peter just shook his head. "Issie, I know why you wanted me there and I will support you through this in any way I can." He gave her a sly smile. "And besides, it gave me a chance to see you lose for once. I was beginning to think you had forgotten how." With that he straightened from his position and walked from the room, the sound of his footsteps as he trotted up the stairs being the only other sound in the otherwise silent house.

Glancing down, Issie saw that Katelin was asleep. With a tender smile she moved her from her breast and covered herself before cradling the babe and walking back into the kitchen. A quick look at the wall clock told her she had been asleep for little over an hour so they still had two or thee left before it started to get dark. She slipped through the basement door and walked down the stairs, settling Katelin carefully in the Moses basket on the floor and tucking the soft white blankets in around her. The little girl stirred slightly but slipped back into a deep slumber, not to be woken by the clashing of blades that carried on long into the afternoon.

* * *

The sun was set and stars sparkled overhead. Legolas and Issie walked from the house and turned down the road toward the cemetery. Swords were strapped to their hips, daggers were carefully concealed down their boots and special pockets inside their jackets held freshly carved staked. Their stride was steady and purposeful and their faces were somewhat excited. 

Issie was masking her anxiety well. Not even Legolas picked up on it. All she allowed anyone to see was the anticipation for the upcoming fights but there was more to it than that. She was worried. The last time she had fought side by side with him something terrible had happened. Some nights she woke up after a nightmare and was sure she could still smell the blood on her skin. The feeling of walking into combat with him by her side conjured up all those images she had been trying so hard to fight.

When she looked at him now she was just waiting for him to cough up blood or to suddenly pitch forward in agony. So she tried not to do that. When she heard him speak all she could hear was his terror filled voice as he cried out her name when he was forced to contemplate his own mortality. So she tried not to do that. When she touched him… Well, she just tried not to do that anyway.

She clenched and unclenched her fists and sped up her walk. The sooner they got there the sooner she could kick some ass the sooner she could put these distractions out of her mind. Not a minute too soon the gates to the cemetery came into view and Issie had to hold herself back from just running in and tackling the first moving thing she saw, vampire or not. When the rustling trees and shadowy headstones surrounded them she allowed herself to slow her stride and risked a glance over at Legolas. As usual his face was calm and blank, impossible to read to anyone but her. She saw what was going on inside him. He was almost as nervous as her and eager to find an enemy to vent some of his frustration on.

She wasn't too far off. He was nervous and anxious to get started but it wasn't all about wanting to vent his frustration, although that had been on his mind as well. He was mainly hoping that fighting a real enemy like this would bring back memories of doing the same thing before. He was hoping beyond hope that this helped unlock some of the secrets of his past that would piece together all he head learnt so far. There was a long way to go and he knew that but he couldn't help wanting some sign that he would remember eventually. Just one memory, any memory, would be enough to keep his faith alive. It was so tempting to just say that was it. He wasn't going to try anymore. It had been days and he was nowhere nearer remembering anything than he had been when he first woke up in Issie and Peter's house.

Legolas looked over at Issie. He was falling for her. That much he knew. It had nothing to do with his memories. He couldn't remember anything about their life together before to know how much she had meant to him. It was just the way she was. It was the reason he had fallen in love with her in the first place. He was starting this relationship all over again and feeling what he knew he had felt once before but couldn't remember when or why. All he knew was that her smile captivated him, her laugh warmed his soul and he could spend hours talking to her, listening to her, hearing what she had to say because her words made him feel such peace and a sense of belonging he forgot that he was meant to be trying to remember something else.

He didn't want to struggle with this anymore. He didn't want to have to wait indefinitely to pursue her. For all they knew he could never remember and they could spend hundreds of years together, knowing each other better than they ever did before, but not allowing themselves that happiness because he couldn't remember that one year at the beginning of it all. That wasn't fair on either of them.

But then she looked back at him and he couldn't hold back a sigh. They would cross that bridge when they came to it. Until then they still didn't know each other and, as long as it may feel to him, it had only been a couple of days. He should at least allow a few weeks before he raised this issue. But that didn't stop him wishing things were different. In his mind he knew what he would say and what he would do if this was a normal situation, if they had never met until a few days ago and they were falling in love for the first time. He could see it all so clearly.

Then an image of Katelin flashed into his mind. The child of their love, what they had to show for almost a year of struggle and hardship. That was all he needed to push his mind back where it belonged. He desperately wanted to know about that part of his life. How could he ever be a proper father to Katelin if he couldn't even remember her being conceived? The feelings he got deep inside him when he looked at her were almost more powerful than those he got looking at Issie. He knew those feelings for the Slayer went deeper than just newfound love and he honestly knew he could never give up the hope of knowing all they had been through and felt for one another. But Katelin was his daughter. And the love he felt for that tiny life was something he had never felt before and knew he would never fully understand if he didn't know the emotions that had gone into her creation. He had to know. He _needed_ to know.

Both Slayer and elf were jerked from their private thoughts as the sound of splintering wood and shredding fabric caught their sensitive ears and they were drawn to a fresh grave three rows in from the path. Casting a grim look at Legolas, Issie said simply, "It's begun," before drawing a stake from her jacket and readied herself, waiting.

* * *

In less than two minutes the ground that had so recently been turned to bury someone's loved one was broken by a deathly pale hand. The fingernails were caked with blood and dirt, splinters protruded from the flesh and scraps of fabric still clung to the rough edges. The hand was soon followed by its twin and next came the head, snarling angrily as it dragged itself out from its cold grave. Then it fixed its feral glare on the two warriors, the golden orbs glinting in the moon's pale light. 

Issie gave Legolas a glance. It was almost certain to her that he would never have seen anything like this before. It looked like a human, dressed like one, moved like one. But it wasn't one. It was clear as soon as it looked at them and the bloodlust took over. Its once human features twisted and contorted, its teeth turning to fangs and its brow forming the deep ridges that framed the golden-yellow eyes. It looked truly demonic now.

She had started referring to vampires as 'it' rather than 'he' or 'she' ever since she had to dust someone she had gone to school with. Turning it into a person rather than seeing it as the parasite it really was made destroying them so much harder. All vampires were parasites that animated the bodies of the dead. Glorified grave robbers. There was nothing of the original person in there. They were long gone. She just hoped Legolas realised that before things got too complicated.

Legolas was repulsed by what he saw. His brain couldn't completely comprehend the creature that stood before them. It looked no more than a young boy until his face changed, than he saw nothing but a monster. Yet the monster's body was dead. That much was clear to him but it was moving. It was alive but dead at the same time. Elves rarely encountered death at all and that was a hard enough concept to grasp. But being confronted by something that wasn't quite alive yet wasn't quite dead? How did something like that survive? Then a brief flash of memory from when he first came to this place reminded him what they did. He could feel the vampire's teeth sink into the flesh of his throat and couldn't contain the shudder of disgust.

_That_ was how they survived. Being not fully alive themselves, they stole the life from others to feed their own existence. Just remembering the violation of his body at the hand of one of these animals was enough to fuel his rage and his own eagerness for battle. It was then the vampire made to come at them and that was all the encouragement Legolas needed to charge out to meet it. Blocking every one of the newborn's blows and delivering punishing attacks of his own, the vampire was soon brought to his knees. Without hesitation, Legolas withdrew one of his stakes and plunged it through the demon's heart. A dreadful scream erupted from its throat before it dissolved into dust and blew away on the wind. The only sign it had ever been there was the slightly overturned earth on top of the grave that could easily be put down to a curious animal scrabbling in the dirt.

Issie just stood there stunned. She had been about to leap into action and dust this thing before it knew what was going on when Legolas beat her to it. She almost felt sorry for the poor thing and the thorough beating it was receiving. But only almost. Soon it was in the wind and she was left staring at Legolas in awe. It had been so long since she had seen him fight an enemy that she couldn't help the girlie and wholly inappropriate thought of how sexy he looked when he was kicking ass. She had a happy half-smile on her face when he turned to her. He didn't return it but his hard glare softened at the sight of her. He heaved a sigh and forced his tight muscles to relax. Then Issie said with a hint of pride, "Dusted your first vamp! Do you have any idea how long I have wanted to take you out on patrol with me?"

The corner of his mouth turned up into a slight smile but as he tried to take a step his head started to swim and his vision blurred. He put a hand to his head and squeezed his eyes tightly closed for a moment, trying to clear the dizzy spell but it only got worse. He was distantly aware of Issie saying his name and her arms catching hold of him but that seemed so far away.

Issie tried not to panic. Had he been hit? Poisoned? Was he leaving her again! She had no more time to think up possible causes as Legolas' legs buckled and he crumpled to the ground. She used her extra strength to slow his descent but he still landed hard on his rear. But he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were almost closed and a slight frown of concentration marred his flawless brow. Other than being slightly paler than usual he seemed alright but she couldn't quite stop worrying. So she just sat by his side and kept trying to bring him back from wherever it was he had gone.

_They were in a small boat. Issie, him and what appeared to be a dwarf. They were rowing down a great river and had been doing so for a long time. It seemed like he had come in somewhere in the middle of the conversation. _

"_Maybe one day we could go there together and you could show me all the things you have spoken of." He really wanted to see everything she spoke so fondly of. It really held a piece of her heart and it would be wonderful to be able to share that. _

_She nodded. She would love to show him London. The look on his face when he met a car for the first time would be priceless. "Yeah. Definitely. Once the quest is done and dusted we'll find a way of going there. I'd love for you to meet Peter. He'd be beside himself to actually meet an elf. And there are so many things you have never even imagined that you have to try. Like all the different kinds of food and music and air travel and cars and computer games and cinema and vampires. I want to take you out on patrol with me. You've never met a vampire before have you?" Legolas shook his head, smiling at her. He loved watching her when she spoke of her home. She obviously missed it so he supposed talking about it made it seem that little bit more real. A bit closer. Issie carried on talking. "Yeah, well, you have to. They're actually kind of fun to slay. It's so easy I usually stake them before they even get fully out of the ground. But when you let a new-born find his feet it's almost funny to see how disorientated they are. They used to stare at me and instantly know that I'm a Slayer and get all cocky because they used to think that they'd walk away from it and say 'I killed a Slayer less than five minutes out of the grave.' Of course none of them ever saw another night but . . ." She just shrugged._

The next thing he knew he was sat on a rather sore backside leaning against a headstone, gasping for breath like he had just broken the surface of a lake. Issie was kneeling next to him watching with such worry and concern he couldn't resist cupping her face in his hands. Looking at her then he felt all that love he had once felt come back into his heart. He hadn't recognised where they were or what they were doing. He had no idea what the quest was she had mentioned but it didn't matter. He knew her. He loved her. His past was out there somewhere. And he knew now he would never stop searching for it.

* * *

Well? What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Lemme know as long as you're nice when you tell me I suck!Lol. R+R 


	17. Chapter 17

I'm back. I'm guessing you aren't exactly surprised that I took so long to update, huh? Neither am I.. Not only did I have to battle writer's block but I had to feed about 3/4 other plot bunnies. And a couple of weeks ago I had to unplug the computer for a while. That drove me so unbelievably insane I just set it up on the floor of my bedroom and now have to write sat on the floor with the keyboard in my lap. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't make my butt-cheeks go to sleep,Lol :)

Anyway, I'm already working on number 18. Hopefully I'll be able to put my other projects on hold and get that out there. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for the great reviews. I really appreciate it! If you hadn't bothered I probably wouldn't have bothered so a great big **thank you** to all of you. Drop me a line if you haven't already. Just to say hi and you're out there. Later dudes!

* * *

Chapter 17

"Legolas?" Issie was going out of her mind with worry now. He was just sat there staring at her. "Legolas, tell me what's wrong. Are you alright?" He had suddenly snapped back to reality and once he had got his breath back he just got this unreadable expression on his face.

Then he smiled at her. "Yes, I know how long it has been. Too long, don't you think?" He watched her expression change with nothing short of amusement.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged. Colour drained from her face and her hands started to shake. The eyes that stared back at her. She knew those eyes! Not daring to hope, she took hold of his hand and asked, "Do you remember something?" She could barely breathe she was so anxious.

Not wanting to get too excited he just said, "A little. I had a brief flash of something. We were in a small boat. There was a dwarf there as well which seemed quite odd." Issie smiled and he knew she knew who he spoke of. He made a mental note to ask her later. "I said how much I would like to someday see your world and you launched into a wonderfully long ramble about all the things you wanted to show me. You described how much fun you found staking newborn vampires." He shrugged in a 'that's it' way and watched as tears gathered in her eyes. He instantly reached out and gathered her into his arms. She went to him willingly and rested her forehead against his jaw. He stroked her hair and murmured softly, "Why do you cry, my love?"

She made a sound that was almost a laugh and raised her head to look at him. "I remember that happening. That was the last morning of happiness on the quest. After that it was all battles and mayhem. After that I realised just what kind of quest we had undertaken. And how hopeless it all might have been." Her face was grave and heavy with memories. But she wouldn't allow that to spoil the happiness she was swimming in now.

But he couldn't just tell her that. There was another detail he hadn't mentioned to her yet. "Those may have been the only images I saw but…" He hesitated, not certain if telling her about his feelings was a good idea. "The emotions I have been left with after that go far deeper than just a remembered conversation." He looked deep into her chocolate eyes. "I remember you. Not Middle Earth, not the quest, nothing else about my past. I couldn't tell you anything we have done together, places we have been or things we have said. But I know you nonetheless. I remember your soul." He touched her face with the backs of his fingers. "And it's beautiful." His voice was nothing but a whisper now and had her completely captivated. He slipped his hand to the back of her neck and started to draw her closer, wanting desperately to taste her full lips, his heart leaping when he felt her start to melt into his embrace. A single tear was allowed to dribble down her cheek and he instantly took a slight detour to kiss the silver droplet away. He then focused back on his goal and was about to claim her mouth with his own when ferocious growls erupted from somewhere out of sight.

Cursing herself for so many things, Issie leapt to her feet and turned just in time to see a gang of vampires stride confidently along the path toward them, purposeful eyes gleaming yellow in the darkness. This was not of the good!

Legolas stood and stared at the group and felt their advantage slip away. Forcing that almost kiss from his mind he focused on the rapidly deteriorating situation. Up until then they had been in complete control. Searching for the newborns that didn't know they were there and staking them before they had a chance to shake the grave dirt from their hair. This was more than slightly different. None of these vampires looked surprised to see them and it seemed more than likely they had come searching for Issie. But they hadn't expected to find him with her. So they still had a slight edge.

Issie let her eyes skim over the faces of the vampires and thanked whatever Gods out there that there weren't any vamps she recognised. Just a gang of doped up troublemakers out to get a reputation or a team of minions working for an as yet undiscovered Big Bad. Either way, it didn't look to be too hard to handle. She glanced over at Legolas and saw he already held a stake confidently in his hand. A pang of worry made her hesitate slightly but at hearing another growl from the vamps forgot everything but the fight. Any hesitation on her part would put them both in danger so she had better not forget what she had been raised to be. They shared a grave stare and silently launched themselves into battle.

Within moments the two warriors were trading kicks and punches with what turned out to be a far bigger problem than they had previously estimated. They were outnumbered four to one and it took them much longer than they thought to take down three between them. Two of the vampires seemed almost as well trained as Issie and Legolas. They had been fighting for a good few minutes before they realised that no matter how hard they fought, outnumbered as they were they weren't going to get that advantage back. Their swords hung uselessly at their sides, their weight taunting the fighters, as by the time they knew they were needed they were too deep in the fight and had no time to draw them.

But soon the need for weapons was made obvious when the moon caught the glint of steel as it streaked through the air toward Legolas' throat. He caught the vampires wrist and smashed his fist into the creature's face, buying him a second to back up and away from the two vampires he had attacking him and glance over to check on Issie. But that second was all he had before the demons came at him once again.

Issie was faring no better. She had three vampires, one female and two males, all bigger than her, steadily driving her backwards. She had no time to think about how to beat them. All she could do was try to stay alive. She needed a weapon. Her stake was long since dropped and she was only just blocking these skilled blows. Had there only been one of them it wouldn't have been such a huge problem. But three of these trained vampires was pushing her reflexes to the max. She barely had time to register where one blow was going to strike before another was coming at her. Her lungs were burning from the cold air she was having to drag in so fast and her pulse was drumming loudly in her ears. The constant beating of fists and legs was gradually numbing her limbs and it was almost more than she could manage to actually make herself keep moving.

After having Katelin it was bound to happen that her training would slip. For the past months priority had always been given to her daughter, even though she knew that neglecting her training would mean she was risking her neck. But she had never regretted her choices until now. Now she knew she had needed those hours of improving her reflexes, endurance and overall attack skills. If she didn't find a way to get the upper hand soon she was going to lose this fight. And she wasn't ready to die yet. With a deep growl that rumbled in her chest, she threw her weight behind one solid punch delivered right to the biggest vampire's face. She heard and felt the bone crunch and a spray of dark blood covered his face. As he staggered backward he delayed the attack of the other two, allowing Issie to pull off two fast back-flips and draw her sword.

Looking back at the three vamps she nearly screamed in frustration. Although the biggest one was on his knees, clutching at his ruined face and groaning in pain, the other two just walked past him, drawing their own weapons. Deadly looking blades they seemed to handle with skill and familiarity, just like every other part of their fighting. She had a moment to glance over at Legolas just as he staked his third vampire and called his name. She needed his help and she needed it now. She couldn't take much more of this.

As the vampire let out a terrible scream and exploded into dust Legolas heard Issie's voice. With only one opponent left he was able to buy himself time. Lashing out with his leg and catching the vamp hard in the stomach he was able to get away just as the first clashes of metal on metal rang out through the otherwise silent and deserted cemetery. But the vamp on his knees had staggered to his feet and rounded on Legolas just as he was about to run to Issie's aid. He had just enough time to duck the first swing at his face and grab the dagger in his boot before both vamps were on him and he was back where he started. He slashed and stabbed but somehow he couldn't manage to get any clear shots with the stake. Keeping an eye on the Slayer he could see she was slowly tiring. She already had a shallow slash to her left arm and a drop of blood trickling from her nose. He needed to get out of this fight now!

He traded blows with these two vamps for a few moments longer, manoeuvring them into the perfect positions, then balled up his strength into two lethal attacks. He slammed his fists into the smaller vampires ribs, hearing and feeling them snap beneath his knuckles, then brought the same arm back and smashed his elbow into the larger one's already broken nose. With the stake in his right hand he drove it down through the first vamp's back then turned and plunged it through the second's chest. Both turned to dust instantly and within moments he was running toward where the two remaining vampires had Issie cornered.

She was caught between two huge headstones and one of the biggest trees in the cemetery. She was holding her own and had managed to wound the female vamp on the right shoulder with a botched swing that should have taken her head off but that had done little to slow her down. She had just transferred her blade to her left hand and kept coming. Then the inevitable happened. Issie raised her sword to block a strike to her head as another slash was aimed at her side. Pain exploded her right side and almost instantly she felt hot wetness start to soak her shirt. Both vamps had paused just a moment to see how badly the Slayer was hurt so she had a split second to gather herself. She delivered a hard kick to the male's groin and had just enough power left to aim a clumsy slash at the female's torso before the weight of her blade threw her off balance and she dropped onto one knee. She raised her suddenly weary gaze just in time to see the female bleeding freely and watching eagerly as the male recovered and readied himself for finishing this fight.

Legolas saw her fall and felt a wave of something powerful rise up inside him. It was even more intense than when he thought about the total violation he had suffered days before. It went so much deeper than that. They hurt Issie. That was worse than anything they could do to him. When he was almost on them he drew his sword and swung it furiously at the vampire who stood, blade raised, over the wounded Slayer. With strength fuelled by protective rage his sword sliced cleanly through the arm and neck of the male and slam into the shoulder of the female. But just as he pulled back to finish the job Issie pushed up from the ground and drove her discarded stake deep into its heart. It screamed in agony but Issie just glared it straight in the eye as it exploded into non-existence.

Her hands came in to press over the wound and once again the pain hit her. It had been so long since she was last seriously injured the shock made her tremble. Her head started to spin and she felt herself falling. But Legolas was right there and caught her securely in his arms. He gently lowered them both down onto the grass and leaned her back across his lap and against his chest. Her body was completely limp and he felt a stab of panic. Her skin had turned a strange grey colour and he couldn't help comparing this to how those animated corpses had looked just minutes ago. His own hand joined hers in pressing over the bleeding hole in her side and he stared worried at her face. Her eyes were screwed up but she was forcing herself to keep them open. Her jaw was clenched so hard he could see a muscle in her neck twitching with the effort.

Acting out of sheer instinct he used his free hand to rub her back while he murmured soothing nonsense in a language he hadn't realised he could speak. At first he was startled by this and apparently so was Issie as her eyes snapped wide and she stared up at him happily.

"You're speaking elvish," she said in amazement. But she had little time to wonder at this as she tried to sit up and felt her insides try to become her outsides. She groaned and slumped back, the harsh groan dissolving into a pitiful whimper. She didn't like this helplessness at all. 'Well, might as well get the brief recovery bit over and done with so we can get home,' she thought to herself.

Seeing her start to quieten and relax back into his arms he felt his gut twist. To him it looked like she was waiting for something. Waiting to die? He moved her hands away and looked at the wound. It was a clean stab about three inches long and didn't look like it had been torn into but he couldn't tell how deep it was. Thankfully nothing was sticking out that shouldn't and blood had already started to clot at the edges. It would need stitches but if her Slayer healing was kicking in so soon the damage couldn't be too extensive. He breathed a sigh of relief. She would be fine. She was just gathering her strength for the walk home.

Without thinking he let himself say, "I almost lost you tonight. I almost lost you without ever really having you." He felt her eyes on his face and a wave of tension travelled through her whole body. But he didn't dare look at her to see that same sad look in her eyes. He couldn't bare seeing, 'Yes but No' again.

He didn't see the tears gather in Issie's eyes or the slight change in their depths as she surrendered to what she could no longer deny. "You always had me," she said softly. His too-blue gaze snapped to hers and both were powerless to look away. "Even when you were gone, I never stopped being yours." Her heart broke for him as she could see her own anguish clearly reflected in his eyes. Those eyes shone with love and pain as he watched her face, trying to understand what she was telling him.

Legolas sighed. "I want to remember so much. I can already feel how much we meant to each other, how much we still mean to each other. And I can already tell you without a doubt," he hesitated, "how much I love you. Although I couldn't define it until now, I realise those words have been wanting to burst out of me from the moment I saw you." He could only stare at the ground as he awaited a response he felt sure would be negative. Until he could remember, she couldn't see him as her husband. But, even though he couldn't quite understand how or why, her husband was something he now wished to be more than anything else in the world. He wasn't prepared for the gentle touch of her hand to his face.

Issie nearly wept with emotion as she heard the words she was sure she would never hear again. She couldn't fight this anymore. She loved him so much it was killing her having to keep a wall between them. Against her better judgment, Issie gave in. Reaching up a little she pressed her lips to his and felt him start at the contact. But soon he returned the pressure and she was allowed the first moment of pure bliss since Katelin was conceived.

Good _god,_ it had been too long since she had last kissed him. Her eyes stung with tears as she remembered the last time they had kissed. It had been outside the black gate. Blood had been steadily flowing from a deep wound to his chest and she had been cradling his head in her arms. He had been so pale… so cold to the touch. He had been so weak already but he still managed to pour everything he had into their last kiss. She could still remember the taste of his blood on her lips…

But he was warm now. And the arms that held her were strong. When she gently probed with her tongue he parted those soft lips and she groaned as his taste overwhelmed her senses once again. She wrapped an arm round his neck and felt a shudder travel through them both as their tongues made contact. Fire coursed through her veins and she tried to turn further in his arms, striving to get closer to the sensations she had missed so much. But she was reminded sharply that she still had a hole in her gut and it still didn't want to be aggravated. Breaking the kiss with a gasp of pain she was vaguely aware that they were both trying to regain their breath. She couldn't describe how pleased she was that she could still affect him like she so obviously had.

Legolas knew that kiss. He knew those lips and that taste. And he definitely knew the reactions his body gave to her touch. And he wanted it again. He pressed a possessive kiss to her still parted lips but realised this was not the time or the place. So he wordlessly scooped her up into his arms and carried her through the cemetery, only pausing to pick up their discarded weapons on the way.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Issie allowed herself to be carried along. She nuzzled into his neck and inhaled his scent, feeling complete exhaustion take her as the prolonged battle and blood loss finally defeated her. The last thing she was aware of before she slipped into peaceful unconsciousness was the gentle throbbing of Legolas' heartbeat against her cheek.

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What do you think? R+R! I would be on my knees begging but as you're all miles away you wouldn't know. Just be aware that the intention for grovelling is there! Hopefully you'll hear from me soon. 


	18. Chapter 18

Heya, peeps! I'm just going to do one great big appology for all the late updates from here on. Because I know there are going to be loads!Lol. So: SOOOOORRRY! There we go. I won't have to keep repeating myself like a broken record now :)

I'm so glad you all liked the last instalment. I was kind of worried about it and it took me ages to get done! Writer's Block has been a bitch lately and it's been a struggle to even get this little uneventful chapter out. But I'm hopefully going to be doing better soon so stay tuned.

To all my faithful reviewers: Thanks a million! Without you I would have given up months and months ago! So keep letting me know you're out there and I'll get my chapters up quicker. Enjoy this one and I'll hopefully get the next one up soon!

See ya soon. Luv ya:)

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Chapter 18

_Darkness. There was nothing but darkness around her but she could hear the shuffling sounds of others. She was tired. So tired. It felt like she had been walking for hours and her legs were aching with exertion. Then a familiar voice from her past said, "Let us risk a little more light." The stone at the top of his staff grew brighter and gradually more and more of the area was revealed. _

_Issie gasped. She knew this place and this time. They were stood in a hall so vast she couldn't see the other side. Rows and rows of giant pillars stretched out before them covered in detailed pictures and writings dating back to the first creation of the mines. She had never seen such an amazing sight. She stood for moments just staring in wonder. Suddenly she felt deep respect for the race of dwarves. If they were able to carve something as beautiful as this they couldn't be all bad._

_"Now there's an eye-opener, ain't no mistake," Sam murmured to no one in particular. Issie gave a tiny smile but it soon fell._

_She had allowed herself to forget what was coming. Again! What was wrong with her concentration nowadays! While she argued about love and friendships (Legolas or Boromir? Legolas or Boromir? Legolas or Boromir? Decisions, decisions. What _is_ a girl to do?) while hosting a mini Jerry Springer Show in her head she had lost sight of the bigger picture. Within minutes she would be immersed in the hardest battle she had ever taken part in. Then they would lose Gandalf to the Balrog that would be after them moments from now. _

_Issie paled and her head spun a little. But it wasn't because of the fight and it wasn't because of the Balrog. It was because of the stairs that lay between them and getting out of the mines. As they walked through the huge hall, Issie thought about something she hadn't considered until just then. _

_The Slayer--the strongest person on Earth--was absolutely terrified of heights. They scared the life out of her. That and tight spaces. The two extremes. She couldn't stand either. Both made her want to scream, be sick and pass out; not necessarily in that order._

_She didn't have time to dwell on it as she noticed something that looked too much like daylight to be anything else. Gimli gave a small shout and ran forward. Gandalf called for him to come back but he was ignored. _

_Everyone followed the dwarf and saw the room he had entered. In the centre of the floor was a large stone with runes on the flat surface. Issie didn't have to read them to know what they said. _

_"Here lies Balin, son of Fudin, Lord of Moria," the wizard declared. "He is dead then. It is as I feared." _

_Issie moved forward and placed a comforting hand on Gimli's shoulder. Looking up, he saw who it was and shrugged it away. The Slayer balled the hand into a fist and grit her teeth against the urge to hit him. Taking back the thought that dwarves couldn't be all bad, she rolled her eyes and went to examine the rest of the room and listened to what was going on around her._

_Papers littered the floor along with skeletons. They all had the same kind of writing on them as on the tomb. Dust lay thick and heavy on every available surface and muffled their footsteps. Other than that, there wasn't much to see but she pretended to be totally engrossed by what was around her so no one would talk to her. She wasn't in the mood for conversation._

_But it appeared luck wasn't with her._

_She stood staring at an inscription on the wall when she heard her name spoken just inches from her side. "Liena," Legolas said quietly (That name sounded almost alien to her now. It had been so long since she last heard it). He didn't want to draw the attention of the others. Especially Boromir, who he knew was also vying for the Slayer's affection. _

_Issie looked at him and really wanted to tell him to bugger off but the moment she met his eyes she lost all will to do anything but stare at him. She didn't notice the change in his eyes as he watched her. Nor did she notice him move closer. She only realised just how far he was leaning when she felt his breath on her face. Flinching she stepped away from him but Legolas put a hand round her back, stopping her from going anywhere. _

_From across the room, Boromir was watching with growing anger. How dare she make him think she had affection for him then allow Legolas to get so close to her! She was his. She was yet another way to gain the favour of his father over his brother, Faramir. This thought surprised him as up until the quest he and his brother had been close; the best of friends, even. But now all he wanted to do was prove who the better man was. And this seemed to be the perfect way to do this. He could only imagine how proud his father would be of the son that captured a Slayer. And he wouldn't let the elf steal what he had won (AN: stupid and childish? You bet! But it worked at the time.)._

_Legolas touched Issie's cheek with his other hand and said in a hushed but urgent voice, "This isn't the way I wanted to tell you but we're running out of time. You have to believe me when I say this." He knew there was something coming and it would get there soon. He had to tell her now, before he lost the chance. Legolas stared at her for a moment longer before whispering, "I love you. Now I look back, I knew the moment I touched you. You're my soul mate." She was about to reply but the frustrated look in her eyes told him it wasn't what he wanted to hear. He silenced her by pressing his lips against hers and easing her against his body. He ran his tongue over her lips and she automatically parted them for him. He took full advantage of this and lightly brushed her tongue with his. He used her distracted state to clear her mind. He opened her to him and let her feel their connection. But she was fighting it. So he tried harder, and was eventually rewarded by the strongest, most blinding flash of heated… whatever the hell it was they had experienced. They both tensed and could do nothing but move closer and arch into one another trying to swallow the loud groans of blissful pleasure trying desperately to rip from their throats. _

_Issie could barely breath. All she could do was stand there and fight the violent trembling that was threatening to make her knees buckle. Why did this keep happening? What was this feeling she kept getting? And why the hell couldn't she find the will to push Legolas off her? Her resolve to stay away from him was shattering, crumbling, running through her fingers like sand and there was nothing she could do about it. The more he kissed her the more she felt that dependency she had been fighting for days increase and take over. Her hands flew to his shoulders and fisted in his tunic. Terror wrapped itself around her entire body as the carefully constructed wall around her heart crumbled to dust and blew away in the wind. She could feel herself open up to him and fought it with everything she had. When they broke apart for just a moment for a gulp of air she turned her head away and whimpered with fear. "Please, stop," she whispered pitifully as he tried to claim her mouth again. _

_There was no conviction behind her voice and he picked up on that. His heart swelled. 'She knows. She feels it.' he thought, although with the reaction they were getting he doubted she could feel anything else. He couldn't stop there. She would only push him away again of he did. So he crushed her mouth again, telling her in no uncertain terms exactly who she belonged to. _

_Before she could remember why she was fighting this to begin with her senses were assaulted again by another fierce kiss that wiped all thoughts not Legolas related out of her mind. But there was still that pure fear screaming at her to run like hell. She was losing herself. Know it as she did, she couldn't pull away and without realising it she began to kiss him back. Her own tongue snaked out hesitantly to taste and feel his mouth. Their bodies pressed together and Legolas slid his hand down to pull her against him by the small of her back. She was beginning to pull him toward her and wrapped her arms around his neck to get a better grip, trying to get as close to the delicious sensation as possible. _

_Suddenly a sharp bang was heard on the other side of the room, _and Issie jerked awake just in time to see Peter closing her open bedroom window.

"Sorry, Issie. I left the door open. I didn't mean it to slam." He took in her shaken expression and flushed cheeks. She was breathing hard and was he wrong or were there tears glistening in her eyes? "Love? What's wrong? Were you dreaming?" He came and sat on the bed beside her.

With trembling hands she raked her fingers through her hair, sure it was standing on end. She nodded and tried to sit up but hissed in pain as she remembered the wound. Then she remembered the kiss. That glorious kiss she had been waiting what felt like an eternity for. Her fingertips traced her bottom lip and she shivered. It had really happened. She didn't made it up. Just like she hadn't made up that dream. It was more of a memory than anything else, with one or two gaps filled in by her own overactive imagination.

"Uh, yeah. Don't worry about it, Peter. Just a dream about the Quest. It's no big deal." She gave up trying to sit and flopped back onto the pillows. "What time is it?" she asked after trying and failing to twist to see the clock.

The Watcher glanced at his watch. "It's not even eight o'clock yet, don't worry. Katelin woke up at six thirty so Legolas took her downstairs. Stay still and concentrate on getting better. We've got everything else covered." With that he left, asking over his shoulder whether she wanted some coffee.

'Concentrate on getting better,' she thought to herself bitterly. Not long ago that would have been enough to close the wound without even a trace of a scar. She had never understood what had brought out that wonderful healing power of hers, nor could she understand what had caused it to fail when she needed it most. If she hadn't wasted what power she must have had it wouldn't have run out before they got to the Black Gate and she would've been able to save Legolas. But, she sighed, what's done is done. They were together now and would be forever if she had any say in it.

So she let herself slip into a doze which lasted almost an hour. She was roused from bleary daydreams by a light knock on the door and happy gurgling she recognised instantly. Blinking a couple of times Issie cleared her vision and lifted her head to look at the doorway.

"Katelin wanted to say good morning," Legolas said with a smile, holding the wriggling child comfortably, like he had been doing it all his life. Issie smiled in return and forced herself to sit up. He walked over to the bed and placed Katelin in her arms, freeing up his own arms so he could put them round her, lifting her into a more comfortable sitting position himself so she didn't strain her wound. He arranged the pillows for her and pulled the covers up a little higher. When she was settled he pressed a kiss to her forehead and sat on the mattress beside her, watching the interaction between mother and child. It truly was a beautiful thing to behold. And, whether he could remember it or not, this was his family. This was where he belonged and nothing would ever change that.

In a moment of pure sentimentality Legolas allowed himself to feel it was enough, that he didn't need to know where he came from or why. All he needed was in his arms and always would be. But the short memory he had uncovered the night before told him there were things he needed to know. Like he thought before, how could he truly love these two women if he didn't remember how it all began? He knew eventually if he got no more memories back it wouldn't matter, they would have been together long enough to love one other more completely that they ever had done before. They would just have to accept those first months as lost and move one. But while they were still so significant, while those months made up the entirety of their relationship so far, they remained essential to the life they had now.

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Yeah, I know. Pathetic and short but at least you get a little more background information. And I know the whole arguement between Legolas and Boromir has been done to death but I started writting the prequel literally about two years ago so it wasn't as tired then. And my writing has improved a bit since then so cut me some slack. R+R. :) 


	19. Chapter 19

Ok, because of the extreme briefness of my last chapter I've got a relatively long one for you. Pretty uneventful I think, but a few cute moments. This was meant to stretch on a bit further but I had kept you waiting long enough for it I though I'd split it in two, almost in half but not quite. Hopefully I'll get the next chapters up soon. That will probably be a "two chapters at once" deal cos I don't think the next one will be very long either :)

But here goes. Thanks to all the great reviewers! This is for you.

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Chapter 19

Three weeks had passed and life had developed a comforting sense of routine. Legolas slotted perfectly into the Slayer's life and it didn't take long before Peter had accepted him as one of the family. There had been no more kisses after that first one. After a long, exhausting conversation they had both agreed Legolas needed a little more time to see if he remembered any more before pursuing a closer relationship. But the mutual adoration positively glowed whenever they were in a room together, which was most of the time. Though constantly touching or sharing lingering glances, neither felt the other was ready for them to take the next step. So they remained as they were, shared love forming a warm cocoon against the harsh world around them. But he got no more memories back.

Once her stomach had healed they partolled every night and to Issie's delight they had rediscovered the fluidity they once had. They fought side by side like a single unstoppable force and Issie's first wound was her last. Over those three weeks the worst either came home with now was one or two bruises from a lucky punch. And both warriors liked it that way.

They were in the basement again, continuing their almost non-stop training sessions and Issie's wound was pretty much forgotten about. But although combat would take up a significant portion of their lives, they would still spend afternoons curled up on the sofa reading a book or watching television. She was slowly teaching him about modern music of all genres and had introduced him to some of the classics she had learnt to appreciate over the years. But still, that first patrol meant they felt they had to train together every day so as to prevent a repeat of that night's near-disaster.

This morning was one of the rare times Katelin wasn't a concern. She had been sleeping soundly for over an our and they had learnt to take advantage of such an occasion and Evanescence blared out of the stereo, filling the otherwise silent house with the heavy guitar and strong vocals. The clashing of steel perfectly complemented the almost violent tone to this particular track and once again they became caught up in the raw emotion behind the music. Once again they allowed their pace to increase and the power of their attack to reach dangerous levels. And once again the sound of ripping fabric brought the fight to a grinding halt.

This time it was a clean, diagonal slash from the back of her neck to below her right shoulder blade. The strap of her bra was cut clean through and she felt her right breast become uncomfortably free-moving thanks to its lack of support. (AN: any girl who's fallen out of her bra will know what I'm talking about!Lol ;) ) She burst out laughing and crossed her arms over her chest. Looking over her shoulder she saw Legolas was smiling and shaking his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose in a gesture he had picked up from Peter.

He couldn't believe he had done it again! This was the third time and he still felt mortified when he did it, although he knew she didn't care. It always made him laugh but he couldn't help worrying that the next time would be the time he seriously hurt her. But he met her sparkling brown eyes and felt his slight anxiety melt away. She never failed to ease his fears.

From the open door up the stairs they heard the impatient fussing of their daughter and that was their signal for a break. The Slayer waved off his appology, punctuated with laughter as it was, and lead the way upstairs to the kitchen. Peter was already at the sink putting the kettle on and Legolas sat at the island while Issie went off to fetch Katelin and change out of her ruined clothes.

"You don't have any plans for later on today, do you? Good, cos we're going shopping," Issie stated without waiting for a response as she strode into the kitchen minutes later. There was already a steaming mug of coffee on the counter waiting for her and she picked it up with the hand that wasn't holding Katelin. Taking a swig, she gave in to the baby's insistent reaching towards Legoas and placed her in the elf's arms. She had to admit it stung a little when suddenly Katelin saw her as surplus to requirements but she knew the child loved her. There were some nights when even Legolas' soothing voice wouldn't calm the screaming babe and it was down to Mum to make it better.

After kissing Katelin's chubby cheek, Legolas looked over at Issie and slipped an arm round her waist in the familiar gesture he had grown used to. "Are we? What for?" He had only been into town once and it was not a pleasant experience. Apparently he looked a lot like a character in a film and everyone seemed to know his name. Most unnerving. He couldn't understand why Issie had found it so funny but she had been giggling infuriatingly all the way home.

Wrapping an arm round his shoulders she rested her head on his. "Yes, we are. Because You need some clothes of your own. Peter's clothes don't quite fit you as well as they do him." She looked down at the older man's clothing and wrinkled her nose. "And besides," she continued. "I don't want to be seen with you looking like a middle aged man. Time to get trendy!" She giggled at his expression that said, 'Why bother? In a month what's in will be out, anyway.' But she wasn't going to be swayed this time. He just rolled his eyes at the determined set of her jaw and shook his head, resigned to being dragged round the shops once more.

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"I cannot believe you are subjecting me to this again," he murmured into her ear as they climbed out of the taxi and joined the throngs of shoppers. He could already feel people's eyes on him and it was unnerving. Issie just squeezed his hand reassuringly and shifted Katelin into a more comfortable position in her arms. The baby fisted her tiny hand in her mother's shirt and settled deeper into the gentle embrace. The suffocating press of people on all sides was something she wasn't used to and didn't like so the protection of Issie's arms was the only comfort that would do for a while. She wouldn't even have Legolas hold her yet.

The Slayer smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. "Yes, you can," was all she said and headed purposefully toward one of her favourite men's clothes shops. Ever since moving to London she had loved looking in through the window at some of the gorgeous clothes and imagining the kind of man she would have fill them if she had any choice. Funnily enough she had always pictured an Orlando Bloom type so today was very nearly living the fantasy. Of course, in her fantasy she had wound up in the changing rooms with him doing unspeakable things behind the drawn curtain but it would be better for all concerned if she steared away from that train of thought.

Within minutes Issie was in heaven. She had an armful of clothes she'd had her eye on ever since she'd first seen them and was hustling the complaining elf toward the changing rooms. He was muttering something about being a waste of time and how he couldn't see why his own clothes weren't suitable. As she shoved him into a cubitcle and ordered him to humour her she reminded him that if he honestly meant _his_ clothes as opposed to the ones he borrowed from Peter, he only had one pair of rather tight fitting trousers and those were ruined anyway. He opened his mouth to protest but she just drew the curtain and told him to show her when he was dressed. She held back from saying something along the lines of, "when you're _un_dressed as well." She was still giggling as she settled herself and Katelin into one of the comfortable chairs to wait for him.

Whether it was because he liked the clothes or just wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible, they got through it all quite quickly. Pretty soon Issie's heart was hammering in her chest and thanked God she had Katelin in her arms to keep her from fulfiling that last part of her fantasy. Holy _crap_, she had good taste!

Various pairs of jeans, sweats and slacks had been tried and either disgarded or handed to her to hold. Shirts, T's and vests had very nearly had her tongue hanging out. One tight black on in particular had made her swallow a groan. Couple that with the pair of jeans she had nearly fallen out of her chair over and she wasn't entirely sure she would be able to keep her hands to herself for very much longer.

With a trembling hand she took the last hangers from him and left him in peace to dress to leave. Three large bags stuffed full accompanied them out of the shop. Next came shoes, but that was easier as the only thing he would even look at were boots similar to those he had worn before… before the time she was trying not to think about. She had pulled back from those thoughts with a shake of her head. She didn't want to bring herself down today. With a smirk at Legolas' expence, she realised she hadn't had this much fun shopping in one hell of a long time.

"Are we finished yet?" he asked for the third time that afternoon. Katelin had relaxed enough to go to him and he held her securely, giving Issie the chance to rest her arms from the constant weight. Although, having the punishment of having to carry four of the five bags wasn't much of a trade off.

She searched her mind and ran over the mental shopping list she had drawn up since she decided they were coming out. "Uh, I think we're about done for now." Then her eyes fell on a familiar face in the crowd. "Oh, shit!" she exclaimed, grabbing Legolas' sleeve and dragging him into the nearest shop. Off his questioning look she just shook her head. She didn't want to have to tell him she had just seen a demon that had ben trying to kill her off and on for the past couple of years. He had backed off significantly recently so there was no reason to bring it up but… she didn't want to tempt fate. He had apparently forgotten about her for now. She hadn't seen him since long before Legolas had come back. Over two months had passed since she'd had one of those confrontations. And since every time she was thoroughly beaten she tended to avoid all traces of his presence.

To most, he would just look like an unusually well built thirty-something with long dark hair and angry green eyes. But she had seen his true face and it wasn't pretty. He looked similar to a vamp in 'game face' but worse. More ridges and more obvious fangs. His fingers sported two and a half inch talons that had more than once made her scream in agony. He was strong and he was fast and he was a spectacular fighter. Hence, he was still alive. She hadn't even been close to getting rid of him and hoped the Council would find a way to be rid of him soon. Both her daughter and her husband remained unknown to him and she wanted to keep it that way until she could be sure they would be out of harms way. That would only come with the knowledge that the demon, Caleb, was six feet under.

Legolas would not be put off though. "Issie, what's wrong? Why the urgent need to look at pet supplies?" he asked impatiently, referring to the pet shop she had dived into so suddenly. His tone and stare demanded an answer but Issie wouldn't risk him knowing more than he had to. If she knew him at all he would decide that tackling this problem head on was the way to solve it. And he would do it alone if she wouldn't go with thim. In fact, if he had his memory back and was slightly more himself than he was now, he would make sure he went alone. He would stop at nothing short of drugging her and leaving her chained up in the basement to keep her from it.

So, to prevent any unpleasantries such as this, she simply said, "Nothing serious. Just an old friend I don't particularly want to speak to right now. He would see through it but would get the fact that she wasn't in a sharing mood. He took the hint and stayed quiet. Five minutes of pretend browsing later Issie said it was time to head back so they caught a taxi back home.

Legolas was relieved to say the least. Although he could almost say he was pleased with the clothes he had, the constant discomfort of being in a crush of people, surrounded by noise of mindless babble and car engines, the stench of exhaust and fast food restaurants was more than he wanted to handle, today or any day. For a brief moment he had a flash of running alone through lush green forests, the smells and sounds of the fresh woodland almost intoxicating. But with the blast of a car horn if was gone and he was left standing in a packed and polluted city about as far away from home as he could get.

Home. He had never referred to Middle Earth as that before. Certainly never when comparing it to London, the only clear home he could actually remember living in. As he climbed out of the taxi and waited for Issie to pay the driver he thought of how little progress he had made with his memories. He could remember no more of his life with her. If ever he remembered anything at all it was brief images like the one he had that afternoon. He wanted to know her so badly. He wanted to be able to make a life with her rather than this constant waiting he seemed to be doing at the moment. But…

But what? It had been almost a month and still nothing. The more time he spent with Issie the more he loved her and knew now that nothing would change that. And what relevence could the quest possibly have on the life they led in London? That year was gone anyway. There was no getting it back. They knew each other now almost as well as they had before, he felt sure of that. Anything he remembered now would just be interesting to be able to look back on. It would change nothing about how he felt toward either Issie or Katelin.

He sighed in frustration and hitched Katelin up higher in his arms. Following Issie up the steps into the house he prepared to raise the subject they had both been steadfastly avoiding for weeks. Peter came out from the front room as he passed and took Katelin from her father without even needing to be asked. The obvious tension in the elf's face made it clear that something was bothering him and Katelin was beginning to grizzle in confusion at what was wrong withDaddy.

Legolas silently followed Issie upstairs into his room and deposited the bags he carried next to the ones she placed next to the wardrobe. She had long since gotten over the discomfort of almost running into whoever it was she had recognised in town and was chattering happily, taking it upon herself to begin putting clothes away and taking the balls of tissue paper out of the two pairs of boots and one pair of trainers she had managed to convince him to trust her on.

"Issie," he began, the hesitancey in his voice made her stop instantly, turning to face him with concerned eyes. She was listening. "Issie, I need to ask you…about us." He paused, unsure how to explain what he had been thinking. "About…how long you want to wait, before we accept the past as lost." He heard her suck in a surprised breath and wondered if she had even given the topic any thought at all.

Yes, she had thought about it. She had thought long and hard about it regardless of her decission not to. She couldn't help it. Every day she watched him, waited for him. Every day she prayed for him to remember her real name, speak elvish again or mention something, _anything_, from the quest. But it hadn't happened and she had also begun to wonder if it ever would. Most of her mind said to give him more time. It hadn't been that long, after all. But a small, aching part of her cried that it never would, that it didn't matter, that waiting would be fruitless, so why not enjoy what happiness they found in one another? And her heart agreed.

And when her heart agreed, there was very little she could do to hold back. She spoke plainly and honestly now, knowing that there was no dulling down what she needed to say to him. "I understand and accept that you must feel you need more time. But I miss you so much. I don't want to let go of the past but there has to come a point when it isn't as important as the present." She lowered her head and closed her eyes. "My heart bleeds for loving you. I say now, the choice of when we move on from here I leave up to you but know this." She met his gaze again, her eyes smiling through the tears that welled. "Move on or stay waiting, my heart, body and soul remain yours forever."

Too afraid to hear him deny her, she walked from the room, only pausing to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek before leaving him to his thoughts, closing the door softly behind her.

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Am I evil? I'm not sure if this qualifies as evilness or not. I know there will be definite evilness in a few chapters time but have I got there with this one? Let me know.

The more of you review, the faster I update! C'mon! Boost my ego and make my day! Click on the little button in the corner. It takes, what, 30 seconds? I want to hear from you!


	20. Chapter 20

Hello all. This is quite quick for me, ain't it!Lol. The next one will be up really soon but it's only going to be short. I only broke off here instead of carrying on because this felt like the right place to put a chapter break.

Anyway, thanks to my four reviewers! You've made my day... week... month... whatever:) Keep'em comin'!

Well, onto the next chapter, and it's a long one. I think...

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Chapter 20

Issie was woken the next morning by the sun shining brightly through the half open curtains. She sighed and blinked to clear her vision. It was still strange to her that for nearly two years she had been sleeping with her eyes open. She had kind of assumed she would be aware of it but she wasn't. It was just like her mind went somewhere else and she woke up with the feeling that she had had a really long, interesting dream that she could no longer remember. She didn't even notice she did it when she started to drift off. She just started to see more and more strange things that no one else seemed to be aware of until she saw nothing else but those strange things. But even if you asked her as she was difting away what it was she was seeing she wouldn't have been able to tell you.

She rolled onto her side and reached for her bedside clock. It was then she noticed the arm and leg that were draped over her and the slight ache throughout her lower half. Last night rushed back to her in a wave.

Dinner had been tense – and not just because Legolas had got changed into some very sexy clothes that made Issie's consentration span slightly shorter than it had been. No one really said anything so Katelin filled up the silence but gurgling and banging things, insisting that, if they weren't going to take notice of each other, they could at least pay her some attention.

Peter had tried in vain to make idle small talk, asking how town was and what the plans were for the next few nights patrol, but each attempt fell rather flat as both elves were absorbed in their own thoughts. He had been aware that both were under a lot of strain and something about today had been a breaking point of sorts. He wasn't sure who had snapped or how bad the damage was but there was something in Legolas' posture and expression that made him think Issie had done something wrong. So after a while he kept quiet.

That evening would have been a disaster if it hadn't been for the well established routine they had developed. There was the clearing up, playing with Katelin and putting her to bed. Then there was loosening up for patrol then heading out. By silent agreement the elves just made a quick sweep and were back home within an hour. They had chatted easily while out but there was something not quite right. Both felt emotionally exhausted by the time they got home.

The three of them had said goodnight and headed to their rooms but just as Issie had finished getting changed there had been a soft knock at the door. She hadn't been surprised to find Legolas standing uncomfortably in the hall, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. Her gut flipped with anticipation but deep down she wondered if this was a good idea. All she had to do was look into his face and she knew why he was here. He had made his decision.

As he stood there in her room all he had been able to do was stare at her. Her wavy, shoulder length hair was tousled from her constant messing with it, like she wasn't used to it always being in her way. It had never really looked right to him. He always thought it should be longer but he'd never said anything, not realising that if he had mentioned it he would have discovered he had never seen her with short hair before he was sent back.

Unable to find the right words and seeing in her eyes that none were needed, he reached out and ran his fingers slowly through her hair by her ear. Without hesitating he let his fingertips brush the delicate point and saw her shiver. Their lips met soon after, gently, softly, asking permission and giving it all at once. The kiss grew in intensity and hands began to wander, to rediscover what had been lost to them for so long. Eventually buttons, zips and ties came undone and restrictive clothing was tossed aside. He lowered her back onto the matress and all thought was lost to oblivion as they loved each other long into the night.

Issie thought hard now she lay there beside him with the harsh light of day spilling into what had been their own private haven. What did he feel now? Did he regret it? What if he changed his mind? After the true bliss of fully joining with her husband after nearly a year and a half she didn't think she could bear to back away again now. But then another thought came to her. What if it had helped him remember some more? She couldn't help but smirk as she remembered all the places they had done it in. Surely he could recall at least one of those experiences. In fact, if she remembered correctly, they had built up quite a reputation in Lothlorien and had nearly gotten caught more times than she could count. Surely he last night would have brought back something. Anything at all.

She turned over and let her loving eyes fall on her sleeping husband. His face was relazed with rest and he looked almost innocent. Almost, because she remembered perfectly well just what lay behind that innocent exterior. With a smile she pressed a kiss to his shoulder, then to his collar bone, trailing her lips alone his neck to his jaw and sighing when she felt him stir. His eyes closed and his arms came round her, bringing her close. She felt his heart beating steadily against her and prayed to any God that may be listening to let him remember some more. Lifting her head she watched him open his eyes to look at her and felt her heart sink.

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing there that she hadn't seen yesterday or the day before. She couldn't conceal the rush of bitter disappointment but tried to force it back down, telling herself that it didn't matter. After all, she had done this as a way of letting go, putting the past behind her and moving on, starting a new life with him. But if that was what she really wanted then why did this hurt so much?

Legolas knew the moment he met her stare what she had been searching for. His heart clenched with pain. Why was this never enough for her? Why was she always watching him, asking more of him? Couldn't she see that he was the one that was truly losing out here? She at least had her husband back. He on the other hand had nearly three thousand years of life that was completely lost to him. He wasn't even in his true home! How could he be expected to get better in a place completely alien to him!

At the sight of her disappointment he felt a stab of anger. Seeing that what he could offer her now was not enough hurt more than he could have ever imagined. She didn't even try to hide the penetrating look she was fixing him with, watching his every move and gesture for any sign that he was who he used to be. Was that the only reason she had lain with him? Did she think that by giving herself to him it would somehow jog his memory? He grit his teeth in frustration and met her gaze with one that said he knew exactly what she had hoped for; it also clearly said what he thought of her expectations. He couldn't keep living like this.

She visibly flinched at his rejection and allowed him to unwind her arms and legs, watching him in silence as he dressed and left the room without even sparing her a parting look. Issie gave a shuddering sigh and ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair. Completely bewildered, she felt her eyes sting with approaching tears and blinked them back, determined to set things right before any more damage was done to their already fragile relationship.

Now dressed in baggy jeans and a white tank top, she followed him down the stairs, the flapping heels of her too-well-worn trainers scuffing noisily on the carpet. She could already hear Katelin's happy gurgling and banging as she sat in her highchair and thought with a pang of guilt that she had been leaving her daughter's care down to Peter more and more over the past weeks. In her failing efforts to be a good wife she had begun to forget that her first and foremost responsibility was to their baby girl.

As a way of making up for it, she picked Katelin straight up out of her chair and bounced her a few times, making cooing baby voices at her like she used to before she became so distracted by Legolas. She barely even acknowledged his presence for a minute while she reminded herself what it was she loved about being a mother. Then she balled up her courage and glanced across the room at her husband.

But he wasn't even looking at her. He was having what appeared to be a deep conversation with Peter. Their voices were too low for even her elven hearing to pick up over the happy noises Katelin made but, judging by Peter's body language, her watcher was not overly happy. His brow was furrowed and he was staring intently at nothing, his left hand was in his pocket and his right was absently stirring his tea. His shoulders were hunched and he was slightly nodding his head in the way he used to with her when he was resigned to something he didn't agree with.

Issie felt a stab of worry and she placed Katelin back in her chair before walking to the coffee pot in the hope of catching some of what they were discussing. But if it was as important as it seemed she would find out sooner of later anyway.

"…everything ready by tonight. Are you sure?" she heard Peter say and the worry turned into alarm.

But when Legolas replied, "Yes. This was never my world. The distance between the realms may be what is keeping it from me," alarm suddenly became blind panic. No, he couldn't be talking about what it sounded like! He couldn't! Her hands shook and she had to focus hard on her breathing to keep herself from hyperventalating. Blood drained from her head and she leant on the worktop for support. Thankfully her back was to the men so she didn't have to worry about keeping her expression neutral. This was handy because she supposed her closed eyes and slack jaw would have drawn quite a bit of attention.

Two miserable tears rolled down her cheeks when she heard Peter say, "She will feel like you have died all over again. You know that, don't you." It wasn't a question. All three of them knew. She didn't have to turn to know Legolas just nodded silently.

Suddenly losing her appetite, Issie quickly poured herself some coffee and took it back upstairs. She sat on her bed and thought deeply. No, she had to have heard wrong! She had to have misunderstood! The back end of a conversation always sounded like something it wasn't. Maybe Peter was just going to open a channel or something so they could… do something that _didn't_ involve her feeling like Legolas had died all over again!

But too few minutes after this there was a soft knock at the door. When she didn't respond Legolas leaned in through the doorway. He saw instantly that she had overheard. He had to tell her this now so he had time to… to say goodbye. "Issie?" There was no reply, not even a flickering eyelid. "Issie, we need to talk."

She gave a humourless smirk. They seemed to be having lots of 'talks' lately. This was the third awkward bedroom moment they had been through in less than 24 hours. It was becoming repetitive.

That hadn't been the response he had been waiting for but beggers couldn't be choosers, he supposed. "Issie, I know why you went through with last night. You were hoping it would remind me." She slowly shook her head but he ignored her. There were things he needed to tell her. "Yes, you were." He said gently. Despite how much it hurt him he couldn't completely blame her for it. "Even if you were unaware of it at the time, that was the real reason. But it didn't work." He sighed regretfully. "I don't think anything in this world will help me any more. We have talked together, fought together, loved together… and nothing has helped. So I think it best if I go back to Mirkwood… back to my home."

At that, Issie got to her feet, rounding on him in sudden, irrational anger. "And what, just abandon me?… and Katelin? We are your _family_, Legolas, whether you remember signing up for it or not! We need you." Her voice cracked and failed her, choked on tears. "We _love_ you!" Her hands came up to cover her crumbling composure and within moments she was cradled in a comforting embrace. Or, at least, an attempted embrace. She angrily slapped his arms away and tried to turn away but he caught her by the shoulders, keeping her facing him. She turned her face away, trying to hide her anguish but it was no use. If he was blind he would know she was crying.

Legolas raised her face with a crooked finger under her chin. His heart nearly broke with the bleading he saw in her dark eyes. But he had made up his mind and knew it was for the best. "Look at me honestly and say that I am the one you married," he said then shook his head. "It is just the memory that you love. Ever since I was well enough you have been treating me like I belong in your world. The clothes, the food, the buildings. Nothing is as I would have known before. There is so much I need to learn that you cannot teach me." When he saw yet more hurt gather in her eyes he caressed her cheek tenderly. "I do not blame you for trying to make me part of this life you have built here. If positions were reversed I most likely would have done the same thing. But… how can I be who you need me to if all I ever see is wrong? I am sorry it has come to this, but last night has proved to me that I have no other choice." He kissed her forehead. "Peter will open the portal at sunset tonight."

She couldn't bear this any longer. She could hardly breathe she was holding onto herself so tightly. In her mind she could clearly see him disappearing through the portal and hearing the roar of it as it closed behind him. Finally she gave into her grief and allowed herself to cry. Flinging her arms around his waist she buried her face in his shirt and sobbed. Her entire body convulsed with each wave and soon Legolas was left supporting almost her entire weight. He sat them both down on the bed and held her close, stroking her hair and rocking back and forth, seeing for the first time just how much his old self had really meant to her.

Legolas held Katelin with one arm and Issie with the other as they walked through the cemetary. The sun still shone orange in the dying light but it was getting darker by the minute. Soon it would be time. His stomach twisted with anxiety as he thought for the hundredth time about what he was about to do. He was going home!

He had asked Issie to come with him but she had refused. She couldn't leave Peter and there was some heavy duty demon activity in the area lately. There were too many responsibilities in London now for her to just pack up and leave. Slaying tied her here and would probably do so for a good long time. In a way she wished she had never come back. Then it would never have been her problem and neither of them would be in this situation. But there was nothing to be done about it now. She was staying, he was leaving. And that's all there was to it.

Katelin seemed to know something was wrong and had clung to Legolas all day. Even now her little chubby hands were fisted in his shirt, refusing in her own stubborn way to be parted from her father for the second time. She could feel in both her parents that their hearts were being torn apart by what was about to happen. But she couldn't figure out what actually was going to happen. So her uncertainty added to the overall tension she was picking up. Grief was eating at her mother like next door's dog had eaten at her Daddy's trouser leg not long after he had first arrived here and she couldn't understand why. But Katelin had a sinking feeling she wasn't going to like it when she found out.

Issie wanted to comfort her daughter and ease the obvious distress she was feeling but she was suffering too much of her own to be of any aid to the girl. So she left her in Legolas' capable arms, thinking with a pang that this might well be the last time he ever held their baby girl. Yet more tears spilled but she couldn't bear to take her arms from round Legolas to wipe them away.

Peter was grim and silent. He would miss the elf but he was more concerned about the effect his sudden departure would have on the women in his life. Once again he would have to pick up the pieces of Issie's broken heart and he wasn't sure he would be able to manage it as well second time around. Last time the fact she was pregnant had been all that had kept Issie alive. But now there would be nothing but the hope of Legolas' unlikely return. And as much as Peter hated to admit it, that may not be enough. He just had to hope that now Katelin was here and the responsibility of being a mother was upon her, the Slayer would make herself fight the loss one more time.

The Watcher turned off the path and walked through the woods toward the clearing he hadn't been in since he sent Issie to Middle Earth so long ago. He was aware that Issie and Legolas had stopped just at the edge of the trees and left them in peace, unwilling to intrude on what might be their last private moment for a very long time.

Just as they were about to step into the woods Issie pulled Legolas to a stop. He turned to face her, his eyes dull with regret. And yet she found she couldn't meet them with her own. "Legolas, please reconsider," she said quietly. "I and truly, deeply sorry for this morning. I never meant to hurt you and I promise to ease off with the pressure. Just…" She raised her head now. "Please stay." But she knew her words were hopeless. Behind the sadness and regret she could clearly see resolve. There would be no changing his mind.

Legolas slowly shook his head. "I cannot stay, Issie. And I'm not leaving only because of this morning. All it did was make me realise what I should have realised much sooner." He sighed and kissed her forehead, cupping her cheek with the hand that wasn't holding Katelin. "I don't belong here. I never did. Whether you mean to or not, the longer I stay here, the more you turn me into something I'm not. You didn't love me for the clothes I wore or the songs I knew. What you loved isn't in me yet. And I need to go find him." They were briefly interrupted by the snapping, fizzing sound of the portal being opened. Both elves looked reflexively toward the source of the noise then turned back to each other. "And he is through there," he said finally, inclining his head toward the clearing. He tried his best to smile although it didn't quite meet his eyes and felt slightly less anxious when he saw her wet attempt to smile in return. Taking her hand in his, he laced their fingers, kissed her lightly on the lips, and led her to the portal.

Issie was shaking, her knees felt like they were about to buckle, yet she somehow managed to walk all the way there without falling on her face. She met Peter's searching gaze with one of pure panic, begging him to tell them he hadn't been able to get it right, that something had gone terribly wrong and Legolas couldn't go through. But when all she saw was sympathy she felt another sob trying to choke her. She swallowed it down but it didn't leave her. Peter handed Legolas a pack with some clean clothes and supplies and he had to let go of her to take it.

She looked at Katelin and knew the child had figured it out. She had curled herself so close and was holding on so tight, the sight nearly broke her heart. But not nearly as much as when she stepped up to take Katelin from him. The baby wouldn't let go. Issie wrapped her arm round Katelin from behind and tried to lift her away but the girl held on tight, her chubby face screwing up with approaching tears. "C'mon, Katie, let go of Daddy," Issie cooed past the lump in her throat. "Let go of Daddy." She kissed her daughter's head in what was meant to be reasurance but finally one single sob slipped through. Katelin started the inevitable screaming as soon as Issie and Legolas each prized a deceptively strong hand from his shirt. Unable to cope with this as well as her own pain, she wordlessly handed the baby to Peter, who took her without question.

As soon as Issie's arms were free she wrapped them round Legolas, who returned her embrace with equal force. "I love you," she whispered. "Everything you were, everything you are, and everything I know you're going to be." She pulled back a little and reached into her coat pocket. Into Legolas' hand she pressed the small bundle of herbs Gandalf had given her. "Gandalf told me, if you put this in the fire just before you go though the portal it will take you straight to Mirkwood. It only grows around the outskirts of the city so don't worry about using it all. I want to be sure that you are somewhere safe." (A/N: I know he didn't really. I'll go back and add that another time :) )

Legolas frowned and looked at her questioningly. "But… then you won't be able to come back." They had discussed this earlier and she had promised to come after him when Slaying permitted.

Issie shook her head. She had been thinking too and had come to what would probably turn out to be a bad decision. She sniffed and stroked his cheek. "If you don't remember, there is nothing for me to come back to." Thankfully he just nodded and closed his hand over the herbs. One more sob escaped her before she crushed her mouth to his, filling it with all the panic and desperation she had been feeling that words could not express. He kissed her back and tasted her salty tears on her lips. When they finaly broke apart she pleaded, "Please don't go, Legolas please!" already knowing he had been as good as gone since he spoke to Peter at breakfast.

He just kissed her again, not able to find any words to make this parting any easier for either of them. Reluctantly he separated from her and turned to the portal without really thinking about what was on the other side, only what he was leaving behind on this one. He tossed the herbs onto the fire and watched them burn with bright green flame. Turning and looking back over his shoulder, he locked eyes with Issie. "I love you," he mouthed.

"Just promise me one thing," she said. When he nodded she said, "Don't forget me again?"

He smiled a genuine one this time. "I promise. I'll remember."

Then he was gone, lost in the bright flashing and swirling lights of the portal, taken far away beyond the measure of distance and time.

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I'm going to say this right now: Myri78, chill out! Everything's under control! I swear to God I have planned the rest of this story down to the very last chapter and I promise to have him remember soon! Just let me know what you thought of this one anyway. I love hearing from you all the time.

You know what? I'm glad I finally got that chapter out of the way. I'd been planning that goodbye scene ever since I first got the idea for this story and it feel great to finally have it done. The end is in sight now! Hurrah! Only another... counts on fingers five? Five chapters left. And they aren't going to be too taxing on my brain. Twentyone will probably be so short it doesn't really count as a chapter. So make it four and a bit.

Anyway, I'll stop my rambling and let you get back to whatever it was you were doing. Hope you're enjoying it so far. Not much more to go now. I'm almost sad! But only almost.Lol

Have a good one!


	21. Chapter 21

Hey, check me out! Aren't I getting good at this! I'm even putting up two chapters at once! And only two more to go after today. This chapter is pretty uneventful, like I said last time. But the next one should keep you satisfied.

Myri78: Christ! Chill out already! It's only a story for God's sake!Lol, No need to get arsey! You can relax now. No need to kill me with you bare hands anymore. :)

To the rest of my reviewers, thanks a bundle. Loving the great responces from you guys. Keep them coming and I might even post the last two chapters sooner than I had planned.Lol

Enjoy

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Chapter 21

Issie once again wiped the tears from her eyes as she sat in the darkness on her bed. She couldn't believe she had lost him again. All this time without him and she ruined what could possibly have been the only chance she got to win him back. She pushed too far and too hard. She tried to make him too much a part of her world, forgetting that it wasn't more involvment in _her_ world he needed. It was the familiarity of home. She should have taken both Legolas and Katelin straight back to Mirkwood as soon as he was well enough.

Squeezing her eyes closed, she shook her head angrily. What posessed her to treat him like that? He had been her entire world for a time and she should have been doing all she could to help him. But instead she almost allowed herself to believe he hadn't lost his memory at all. She just carried on, hoping it would all sort itself out eventually. That first serious talk about his past had been their last. Every day they had minor chats about things that had gone on, various funny, scary or beautiful moments they had shared during the quest. But it hadn't been enough. _She_ hadn't been enough.

And now it looked like she would never get to make it up to him.

No, she thought. She would find him one day. She didn't know how but she would find him. It didn't matter if Peter's next portal dumped her in the middle of Mordor. She would walk the length and breadth of Arda he would be waiting at the end of the road. In her mind she could still see that final smile he gave her and it warmed her heart. There was so much hope in his eyes she couldn't help but be comforted.

Pulling herself back together for a minute, she remembered how she had felt months before. But Issie refused to let herself sink that low again. She had a daughter to take carea of who was taking the departure of her father very hard. She was even grizzling in her sleep and it was breaking Issie's heart to hear her in the next room. So she had to be strong for the both of them and not let herself give in to the utter misery that was threatening to overtake her once again.

Reaching over to her stereo she hit the 'random' button and waited to see what cd and track she would hear. When she heard the intro she rolled her eyes. She knew this song way too well!

_Don't leave me in all this pain. _

_Don't leave me out in the rain. _

_Don't leave me here with these tears. _

_Come and take…(Toni Braxton – Un-break My Heart)_

She hit the skip button and waited again. Then she heard the next random track and groaned. Not again!

_Did I hear you right_

'_Cause I thought you said, let's think it over._

_You have been my life_

_And I never planned growing old without you._

_Shadows bleeding through…(Bryan McFadden + Delta Goodrem – Almost Here)_

Again her hand slammed down on the button and again she rolled her eyes. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't fair!

_If only you could see the tears_

_In the world you left behind_

_If only you could heal my heart_

_Just one more time_

_Even when I close my eyes_

_There's an image of your face_

_And once again I come to realise_

_You're a loss I can't replace…(Westlife – Soledad)_

She swore, she didn't care what the next track was, she was listening to it. She was just sick of songs about breaking up or dying. Anything was better.

_Time, sometimes your time just slips away_

_And you're left with yesterday, left with the memories_

Apparently she was wrong. But she didn't have the energy to change it over now. Something about the lyrics this time caught and held her, forcing her to listen.

_I, I'll always think of you and smile_

_And be happy for the time I had you with me. _

_Though we've gone our separate ways_

_I won't forget, so don't forget_

_The memories we made_

_Please remember_

_Please remember_

_I was there for you and you were there for me_

_Please remember our time together_

_When time was yours and mine and we were wild and free_

_Please remember_

_Please remember me._

_Goodbye, there's just no sadder words to say_

_And it's sad to walk away with just the memories_

_Who's to know what might have been._

_We'll leave behind a life and time_

_One never known again_

_Please remember_

_Please remember_

_I was there for you and you were there for me_

_Oh, remember_

_Please remember me_

_Please remember_

_Please remember_

_I was there for you and you were there for me_

_Please remember our time together_

_When time was yours and mine and we were wild and free_

_Please remember_

_Please remember me_

_And how we laughed and how we smiled_

_And how this world was yours and mine_

_And how no dream was out of reach_

_I stood by you and you stood by me_

_We took each day and made it shine_

_We wrote our names across the sky_

_We ran so fast, we ran so free_

_Cos I had you, and you had me._

_Please remember._

_Please remember. _

With a quivering sigh, Issie wiped away what she was determined to make the last of her tears. Looking back over the past few years she realised she couldn't go on like this. Too much crap had stopped her from going as far as she knew she could. She didn't even have a job, for Christ's sake! The Council continued to give Peter funding when they realised they had their Slayer back so they were never short of cash. But all she ever did was train, patrol and play with Katie.

And that wasn't enough anymore. Her normal, relatively empty life wasn't enough to stop her thinking about the gaping whole she still had in her heart. So she needed to fill it with something.

So, she gave a resolved nod of the head and got to her feet, determined not to let this devastating evening ruin what was left of her existence. She was a Slayer, afterall.

Slayers couldn't be beaten that easily.

* * *

"Peter, I'm back! Where's my gorgeous girl!" Issie called as she closed the door on the beautiful sunny day behind her. She dropped her gym bag beneath the coat hooks and glanced in the mirror, pausing to tuck behind her ear a stray lock of hair that had escaped the short ponytail at the back of her head.

"We're in the basement," came the muffled reply of her Watcher from the direction of the kitchen. Issie walked through into the kitchen and grabbed a class of water then went to the sliding wooden door leading to the basement. Her trainers padded softly on the wooden stairs and when she was half way down she sat, looking through the banister.

Peter was on his knees on the soft crash mat, holding a wobbling Katie upright by the hands. He looked up at Issie with shining eyes and a face that beamed with pride. "Look," he said to Issie, "we've been working on this all morning!" Inching back a little Peter brought his hands in toward him, letting go of Katelin's chubby fists. Instinct kicked in and her legs started to move, carrying her in easy steps toward him again. Peter kept shifting back more and more so she had farther to walk but after about a dozen steps she apparently had had enough of performing and she plopped down heavily on her rump, a happy grin on her face. Six little pearly teeth peeked out from her gums and bright blue eyes sparkled adoringly up at her Uncle Peter. Light brown curls that had darkened from blonde tickled her ears but whenever Issie tried to clip them back Katie just scowled and yanked the clips out, then cried because doing so had yanked out some hair with it.

Issie laughed warmly at the sight. "Oh, she's doing better!" She came and sat on the bottom step and Katelin turned around, charging across the mat on her hands and knees. The girl could walk quite well upright and would have been able to make that short distance without assistance but she decided it would be much faster to just crawl the way she had been for the past few months.

Catching her daughter up in her arms, Issie stood and swung her round, earning her happy squeals and laughter, before settling for hugging her tightly and kissing her chubby cheek. "How's my beautiful baby-girl?" she whispered, gazing lovingly into the blue orbs she had inherrited from her father. She could see already Katelin was going to be the image of Legolas, but with her dark hair. And… in a way, she took comfort from that. There was a tiny part of Legolas still here with them, even if it only lived within their daughter. And that was okay.

In response to her mother's question, Katelin made sweet, chirping baby noises and waved her arms, tugging on the strands that had escaped Issie's ponytail. Wincing, Issie pulled her hair from the toddler's grasp and smiled, kissing her forehead again and placing her back on the ground. Katelin immediately started crawling over to the toy corner they had set up for her and began rummaging, oblivious to the rest of the grown-up world in that innocent child-like way that would more than likely vanish within a few years. Living with a Slayer had a way of making the young grow up too fast.

"How was work?" Peter asked, sitting cross-legged on the mat and watching Katie play.

Again, Issie sat down on the bottom step and took a long swallow from her glass. "Oh, same old, same old. A beginner, two intermediates and one who's been doing it 'longer than I've been alive,' apparently." She just grinned and shook her head. "You should've seen the look on his face when I landed him on his ass for the third time!" She laughed at the memory.

It had been such a stroke of luck that she had managed to get this job. Martial Arts teacher at an Academy within a twenty minute jog from where she lived! Ideal! She worked part time, every morning from eight 'til one. The people she worked with were nice enough but weren't intent on finding out about her life, past, or family, which was a bonus. Like when they had to choose a midwife last year, she couldn't afford getting too chummy with someone who asked a lot of questions. So their respect of her privacy was appreciated.

But Peter had to rain on her parade, didn't he. "You aren't drawing unnecessary attention, are you? Superior strength may raise questions that shouldn't be asked."

Issie resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "The worst they can do is test me for drugs and we both know I'm cleaner than clean. People will label what they can and just rationalise what they can't. It's all good." She gulped down the rest of her water and stood, heading back up the stairs to the kitchen. "I'm going to start on lunch. How does Italian sound to you?"

And that's pretty much how life was for them now. It was happy, full of conversation and laughter, how it should have been all along. On the outside anyway.

Issie was still beating herself up over losing Legolas. Some small part of her felt he would come back one day. But it had been eight months; that was a long time to wait. Common sense had said it was over, that she should leave well alone and accept the dinner invitation she kept getting from that nice-looking young man she was teaching kick-boxing.

But she couldn't. Even if there weren't the obsticles of her being a Slayer and an Elf (one and the same, I know), her feelings for Legolas hadn't even blurred at the edges. They were still as bright and vivid as they had been from the first day she had said the words. She loved him. Whether he was one room away or a whole world away, it didn't change that he had taken a part of her with him when he left. And unfortunately for her, and the kick-boxer, she needed that bit if she was going to love again.

After lunch she went up to her room and stripped out of her work gear, ready to shower and chill out for a couple of hours before loosening up for patrol. Her gaze wandered over to the portrait on her wall. It had been such a sad day when Thraduil had given this to her, now it was one of her greatest sources of joy. She walked and stood in front of it and allowed herself a bittersweet smile. _That_ was the Legolas she knew and loved. He was stood, in the same clothes he had worn on the quest, bow in hand with an arrow notched. His piercing blue eyes were captivating even on canvas, a testiment to the paiter's skill. Her stare slid down his body and she felt her heart skip. With a smile and a giggle, she shook her head and broke from the dirty memories she had been indulging in.

On her way out of her room to the bathroom she brushed her fingers over the three dvd cases on her bookshelf. She had bought the Lord of the Rings films a couple of months ago when she missed his voice a little too much. Now she clung to them just in case she had let herself start to forget. She had watched them with Peter once, pointing out how things had been different when she was there, the things she had done and how it had felt to be a part of something to unbelievably huge. But he had been strangely silent, almost uncomfortable, through them all, those three evenings watching them together feeling far longer than their three hours. She hadn't even asked if he wanted to see any of them since then. But to her they were almost a lifeline now. She had read the books twice and had even ploughed through the Silmarillion again, just to feel closer to Legolas.

As she stood under the warm spray in the bathroom she thought about the one thing she couldn't quite let go of. Peter had often asked her why she went out on patrol so early and came back so late. Even he had given up waiting for her to get in before going to bed at night. Sometimes she wasn't back before dawn. But, thanks to her elven endurance, it didn't affect her and she was able to go to work without any trouble. Of course, on those days when she only stopped off at home to change clothes and say good morning to Katie, she could never quite get her head straight. All morning she was left thinking about how last night could have been.

After making two sweeps of the cemetary she would sit in the portal clearing and wait, staring into the burnt circle in the centre like she could will it to ignite on its own. She would lean back against a tree and hum to herself. Although not a tear would touch her face she would let herself truly feel Legolas' absence. Various songs would come to mind and she couldn't help singing them quietly to herself, almost hoping that somewhere, somehow, he would hear her and know she wanted him to come home.

When she couldn't stand the misery anymore she pulled herself back together and made her rounds through the nearby clubs before heading home. Nearly every time she caught a few straglers and managed to take out some of her frustration and aggression on them so it didn't stay bottled up. Katelin could always tell when her mother still had some pent up violence left in her. She didn't let Issie keep hold of her for long. She would grizzle, arch her back and insist on being put on the floor to make her own way around. And every time she did that Issie felt a stab of pain in her heart. It was the subtlest type of rejection that, to a mother's irrational mind, translated as blame. She had to wonder if Katelin didn't blame her for Legolas' departure. God knows she blamed herself! Why _wouldn't_ Katelin recognise that it was something Issie had done to drive him away?

But there was nothing for it now. She was just going to have to accept that life was the way it was and she could do nothing to change it. Maybe he would come back, maybe he wouldn't. When Katelin was old enough, she was going to train her to fight and travel Middle Earth with her anyway. It didn't matter that they would be dumped in any random place on Arda. She would find Mirkwood eventually and would introduce Katelin to her father, whether he remembered their faces or not.

And life wasn't that bad without him. It was good, even. It could be better, she could be sharing it with the Legolas she had fallen in love with. But the past few months had taught her something. She could survive without him. She would go on and would be happy. For the sake of her daughter and her own sanity she had to keep on like she had. Eventually his being gone wouldn't matter so much.

Eventually…

* * *

The whole listening to the radio thing may be corny but it was the only way I could think to get in the song that inspired me to write this. Go on and read the next chapter and let me know what you think of how I handled it. 


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

_The battle raged all around them. The smell of blood and death filled the air and the combined sounds of clashing steel and agonised screams was deafening. Bodies of men and orcs littered the ground but that was nothing compared to the enemies numbers yet to even pass out through the Black Gate. _

_Legolas was beginning to tire. Hope was gradually ebbing from him but he knew he had to keep fighting. A few seconds pause gave him a chance to look over his shoulder at his wife. Lienaren was fighting harder than he had ever seen her and he felt a momentary swell of pride when he saw her use a move he had taught her to finish one of the three orcs she was tackling. But the pause was over too soon and he was swept back up into the war. _

_His arms and face were dotted with the black blood of his enemies and he closed his eyes briefly as his blade found its mark once again, sending a spray of the thick liquid into the air. He and Gimli were supposed to be keeping count but he had long since given up on that, realising there wasn't a chance of them ever comparing scores. But, glancing over at his dwarven companion, he saw Gimli was holding his own and knew the score would be roughly the same anyway. _

_To his right he heard the rough roar of a creature he knew well and swung round to see a heavily armoured cave troll advancing through the orc army, heading straight for Aragorn. Quickly slicing through the throat of his current opponent, Legolas instantly started shoving his way through the battling soldiers, intent on backing up his friend. He would not let Aragorn face this foe alone. _

_But the crush of people were almost impossible to move through and as he saw Aragorn just barely blocking the troll's blows he felt rising panic, knowing he would never get there in time. _

_The troll lashed out with his fist and sent Aragorn flying through the air, landing heavily on his front. He could feel the heavy footsteps shaking through the ground and knew it was still coming for him. But just as it was nearly on him, two strong arms grasped him and hauled his to his feet, flinging him out of the way. _

_"No!" Legolas screamed when he saw Lienaren appear from nowhere, pushing Aragorn forward, but not moving fast enough to escape being crushed beneath the troll's enormous foot. He heard her cry out in agony and felt an echo rise within him. He forced his way through, even tempted to turn his blade on the men when they didn't get out of his way fast enough. When finally he had enough space he reached behind to his quiver. But it was empty. Without even pausing to think he charged forward again, knives glinting in the dim light. _

_Lienaren saw him coming and screamed at him to stop but he didn't listen. The troll saw the approaching threat and before Legolas got within striking distance he swung his spiked club hard, swatting the elf like he was nothing more than an irritation._

_Legolas felt a pain unlike any he had ever known tear through his torso. He didn't even feel the pain of tumbling across the ground, so insignificant was the discomfort. He couldn't cry out; he could hardly breath. All he knew was the excrutiating agony ripping through him and the coppery taste of his own blood coating his mouth. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the slight change in atmosphere, a ripple traveling through both orcs and men. But he paid it no mind, the only thing claiming his thoughts through the haze was his love's screams, gradually coming closer. _

_She dropped to her knees beside him with tears streaming down her face, instantly cradling his head in her lap. "Legolas! Legolas, love, open your eyes!" When he didn't, "Damnit, Legolas, open your _fucking_ eyes!" They eventually fluttered open and when he met her own tear-filled gaze he saw his fate reflected clearly in their depths. _

_Lienaren couldn't believe this! This was _not_ supposed to happen! She couldn't help looking down at the gaping wound in Legolas' chest. Beneath the shreaded fabric she saw deep crimson blood and flesh, the white of his ribs and breastbone staned red. She had never healed anything this bad before but she's be damned if she would fail him now. Placing her hand over the wound, she cringed and felt bile rise in her throat. Her hand didn't cover half of it. She closed her eyes and concentrated, forcing herself to block out everything going on around them. She even ignored the terrible crash as Sauron's tower crumbled. Every sense was focused on saving Legolas. _

_But when she felt her power go out of her something happened that she had never known. The pain of the wound could be felt traveling through her, searing her insides and making her half expect her flesh to spilt and bleed with the agony of it. But it didn't . Her eyes scrunched up with the effort of holding back another scream and she breathed a sigh of relief when it finally dulled to a soft ache. But when she opened her eyes there had been no change to Legolas' wounds. _

_Legolas felt her healing gift travel through him but knew it was hopeless. He could feel his life slipping away already. But he was immensely grateful for the only effect it did have. The mind-numbing burning was swept away, to be replaced by the warm tingling sensation that always accompanied her healing touch. When he found he could think almost clearly he raised a hand to touch her face, making her look at him again. He tried to smile but he suspected it came out a little crooked. _

_The Slayer felt the breath knocked out of her. She couldn't save him! This was actually going to happen! She had truly failed. And he was going to die because of it. No! She would not accept that; not when they had come so far! A sob rising in her throat, Lienaren replaced her hand and tried again, only to have it gently lifted away by Legolas. "No! Legolas, don't do that," she pleaded. "Don't you dare give up now! Everything's going to be..." She broke off when he shook his head. _

_"Leave it," he said. "It doesn't hurt anymore." He didn't want to die but he knew it couldn't be stopped. He looked into her heartbroken face and couldn't hold back his own tears. They ran down his cheeks, leaving clean paths of white skin behind them. She bent down and kissed them away, only to replace them with her own as they dripped off her chin. _

_She saw his blue eyes start to look heavy, tired. "Don't leave me. Please!" She was panicking. This couldn't be the end of them, could it?_

_He cupped her cheek in his bloodstained hand. "This parting will be our last, I promise, amelamin," he whispered. "The next time we meet will be forever." _

_She shook her head stubbornly. "No! You cannot just give up! I'm not ready to die yet. And if you leave now, what else is left for me?" She could hardly see through the tears of grief and fury blurring her vision. _

_Legolas smiled a secret smile. "Don't you feel it?" he asked. His hand lowered from her face to touch her belly. "Search for it." He watched her close her eyes briefly and returned his hand to her face when, within seconds, they snapped open again. _

_"It worked?" she asked in disbelief. "Now you have to fight! Legolas don't give in now. You're going to be a father! You _can't_ miss that! I won't let you!"_

_"Nothing can stop that now, mela," Legolas said, feeling weariness creep up on him. Lightheadedness told him his time was running out. "Promise me you will tell our daughter about me... about us." He blinked heavily, struggling to keep them from closing, not ready just yet. _

_Lienaren saw him fighting and caressed his face, leaning down so their foreheads were touching. "I promise," she whispered, a sob escaping despite her hardest efforts. "I love you, so much!"_

_Legolas gave a tired smile. "And I love you. Whatever happens after this, know a part of me stays with you." He gave one final effort and reached up, capturing her lips with his, sighing when she responded desperately. Their tongues met with the passion that had always been there for them. He poured every ounce of love and devotion into what he knew to be their last kiss, wondering how long it would be before he tasted her lips again, wishing this moment wasn't tainted by the metalic tang of his blood in their mouths. When he finally had no more energy he relaxed back into her embrace, their foreheads still touching. He felt the last of his strength leave him and tensed in rebellion. He didn't want to die. But the limits of the flesh soon won out and he realised for the first time in his long life that... he had _never_ been immortal. His eyes were wide and panicked as they met hers once more. "Liena..." he gasped between pained breaths. "I'm afraid."_

_Then he gave a final shuddering sigh, his whole body going limp, and the hand that cupped her face dropping heavily between them. His eyes closed and his face relaxed as he slipped into the only true sleep elves ever know. _

_Lienaren suddenly went still... He was gone... Completely gone. But... No! She choked back sobs and gently shook him. "Legolas?..." But he didn't move. "Legolas... come back. Please... don't leave me!" But he was already gone._

_She wrapped her arms round him and drew him close, feeling her breaths get deeper and deeper, heavier and heavier, each inhalation expelled with a groan of agony. Before she even had time to think she threw back her head and screamed long and loud, the cry of pain and rage echoing through the now strangely quiet battlefield._

_When her lungs burned and her throat was raw she collapsed forward again, burying her face in his neck and sobbing so hard her entire body convulsed, rocking back and forth and pleading with him to wake. _

* * *

Legolas jerked upright in his bed, sweat glistening on his skin and running in beads down his heaving chest. His eyes were wide and unseeing for a moment until he blinked to clear them. When he had fully woken up he swung his legs off the side of the bed, staring down at the bedside table and the Polaroid that leaned up against an empty glass. Issie and Katelin smiled at him from their garden in London. Then his eyes fell on two white gold rings, one significantly smaller than the other. He smiled.

"I'm back."

* * *

Issie couldn't delay it anymore. She had to make one last sweep then head home. Peter was seriously starting to worry about her and had even talked about finding someone to go with her if she insisted on being out all night.

But tonight the very idea of going back to the house was intollerable. The night was beautiful and warm, a gentle breeze making the leaves rustle around her. It was too glorious to go inside yet. So she wandered some more, investigating every single noise she heard, stalling for as long as possible.

So her spider senses going off for real was something of a shock. She spun on her heel to face the approaching threat and felt the breath knocked out of her. Caleb! Oh, this was not good! The glittering stars were suddenly not so appealing. Nor was getting her ass kicked yet again. This would be the third time this month. What the hell had suddenly reminded him she existed all of a sudden!

She drew her sword when he started to run at her and braced for a fight. But his deep, threatening growl was suddenly cut short when the right side of his forehead burst, a glittering arrowhead jutting out through the hole. Caleb collapsed face down, the long shaft and fletching still quivering in the back of his skull.

Issie stared intently into the trees the arrow had come from and caught a brief flash of movement. A shadow, heading away from her. "Hey!" she called, going after her mysterious saviour. Without a thought for safety she ducked into the trees but had completely lost sight of whoever it had been. She walked on a little way, scanning the surrounding woods for any sign someone had been through there but she saw nothing.

Then one hand closed round her throat and another round her left arm, jerking her back against a hard chest. She made to struggle but a blissfully familiar scent washed over her and made her knees weak.

Lips grazed the sensitive flesh of her ear as her captor whispered, "Why did you cut your hair, Lienaren?"

Hardly daring to believe, Issie looked over her shoulder and met Legolas' eyes. Her already weak knees buckled and Legolas released her arm and neck to wrap round her waist, holding her securely. When she had her legs back under her she turned in his embrace, still staring wide eyed up at him. She raised a trembling hand and touched his face. This was real.

"I told you I'd remember."

* * *

I cannot put into words how glad I am to finally have this chapter done. It's been on my mind ever since I started this and to have it finished is such a great weight off my shoulders. I was literally sobbing when I wrote his death. I get _way_ too involved! But I'm pretty well pleased with it.

Let me know what you think cos it feels to me like the whole story, whether it's good or whether it sucks, kind of hinges on this chapter. So any suggestions on improvements would be appreciated. (but if you're just going to say "this is shit! rewrite it!" then don't bother.lol).

I should have the last two up soon. I've already got a rough plan worked out so it shouldn't take too long.


	23. Chapter 23

It's finally finished! OH MY GOD! I thought I'd never get here but now I finally have. I know I kept going on about how soon I would have the last few chapters up but I not only had to deal with the computer being off-line for weeks but I then had to battle with the dreaded writer's block. I haven't written anything worthwhile in a good couple of months but be assured that every attempt I made at being creative was directed this way.

I haven't read it through or anything. I just wanted to get it up as soon as I could. So I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know if there are spelling/grammar mistakes that I've missed.

I'll warn you, just in case, there's a post-sex moment in this one and I'm not sure how sensitive people are about that kind of thing. I apologise if you don't like it but... I do.Lol.

So, here it is. The second to last chapter. Read, review, but above all things, enjoy:)

* * *

Chapter 23

"Now this is an experience I've missed. Making out on Peter's sofa. Always good to pass the time." The Slayer giggled as Legolas kissed up her neck and nipped her earlobe. She was sat sideways on the couch, comfortably settled in Legolas' lap, her legs curled up infront of her. Her arms wrapped round his neck and brought his mouth back to her own. They been apart for way too long!

Legolas sighed in bliss. He had missed his wife so much. It felt like an eternity since he had last held her in his arms. And now he had all the time in the world to indulge himself. His hands didn't stay still for long. They slid over her back, arms and legs, making her shiver beneath his palms. Yep, it had been _way_ too long! His wayward fingers seemed to agree with him as one hand made its way up the inside of her denim-clad thigh and the other slipped beneath the soft silk of her shirt, fiddling indecisively with the fastening of her bra. Inappropriate?… 'I think not!' he thought and was just about to release it when there was a sudden cry of:

"Eeew! Gross! Guys, get a room before you put me into therapy!"

Just barely managing to break their kiss before going too far, they looked over at the doorway to see a brown haired, blue eyed teenager staring disgustedly at the way-too-public display of affection going on in her Uncle Peter's living room. "Hello, Katelin. How's the revision going? Not started yet? Oooh. Better get a move on then! Only two weeks to go until the first of your GCSEs, after all!" said her mother in an overly cheerful voice, trying to tell her to 'bugger off' without actually _telling_ her to 'bugger off' and secretly cursing herself for not suggesting the two of them take this upstairs long before now. This was the third interruption this week and if it happened much more often _she_ was going to be the one needing therapy.

Katelin sighed. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Mum," she huffed, not impressed, and thumped noisily up the stairs. Music was blaring mere seconds after the slam of her bedroom door echoed throughout London. "Oops! Sorry!" she called back. "Didn't mean to push it that hard!"

There had been a funny side effect to a Slayer having a child with her Soul Mate. The warrior blood in both parents passed on to the daughter. She was only sixteen but was almost as deadly as Legolas or Lienaren.

The Slayer had decided to go back to using her elvish name days after Legolas' return just over fifteen years ago. Now he was back to normal he had said the name didn't fit seem right. It was strange, he had said. Even when he couldn't remember and had never known her as anything else, 'Issie' just hadn't sit right in his mind.

"Do you think she should patrol with us tonight? She seems tense. All this exam stress is getting to her, I think," Liena said once she was out of sight.

Legolas nodded then chuckled. "But I think we're going to have to keep a closer eye on her this time. Vanishing to follow some 'cute guy' down the street doesn't get the job done very fast. Especially when he turns out to be a vampire." His girl still hadn't quite got the idea that rather pale men wandering around the cemetary at night were probably not the average male. But she would catch on eventually, one way or another. He just hoped it wasn't the other.

Liena stood from the sofa and walked to the doorway. "You want tea?" she asked over her shoulder. Legolas stood and followed her to the kitchen, picking up a sword from where it rested against the wall by the door. He declined her offer and went down into the basement, hanging the sword in its place on the wall before taking his blades down and slowly going through the motions of a fight. He was feeling particularly restless tonight as he had just come back from spending a month with his father in the now renamed Eryn Lasgalen. There was so little fighting to do there now he rarely got a proper work out.

Minutes later he was joined by his wife and they sparred gently for a while, loosening up. Then Legolas picked up the pace, taking Liena with him. Soon they were battling hard, lost in the rhythm of their fight, paying no attention to the world around them. Until there was the sound of tearing fabric and everything came to a grinding halt.

Lienaren just stood there, arms folded, bare foot tapping, eyebrow raised, unimpressed. "Ok, now you're just doing that on purpose," she said, looking down at her shirt sliced cleanly down the front from neckline to hem.

Legolas smiled hungrily, pleased with himself, and dropped his blades, grasping the front of her jeans and pulling her toward him. "Uh-huh," he said distractedly, taking her sword from her suddenly limp figers and letting that fall to the mat. With no warning he swooped down on her mouth and caught her up in a deep, meaningful kiss and lowered them both to the ground. She wrapped her legs round his hips and sighed against his lips.

He had just slid down the zipper on her jeans when booted feet clattered on the basement stairs and a cry of, "_Oh, _dear god! Do you ever stop doing that! What, were you rabbits in a past life or something? Why the _hell_ am I still an only child? Surely there should be hundreds of us by now!"

* * *

The full moon shone brightly through the open curtains of the elves' bedroom, the silver light shimmering on their sweat-slicked skin as they lay in a tangled heap of limbs. Legolas wiped strands of dark hair from his wife's eyes then settled back against the pillows, gathering her up protectively against his chest. She sighed in contentment, kissed his shoulder and he returned the gesture against her temple.

"It would be wonderful to have another child, wouldn't it," Liena said in the darkness. It wasn't a question. She could sense he was thinking the same. They had both been thinking it since Katelin's referring to 'hundreds of them'. Although they both loved Katelin with everything they had, there was something missing from their lives and both knew what it was. It was the joy of going through the pregnancy and birth of your child with the one you loved. Legolas and Liena regretted so badly the separation that had lasted until long after their daughter's birth and wanted to correct that mistake.

But now was not the time. Over the years they had discussed the possibility of having another child and both agreed it was too big a risk to take having another elvish babe running around London. Katelin drew enough attention as it was. So they were content to wait until the time was right to return to Middle Earth. Every time the Slayer thought of this event she was filled with so many mixed emotions. The most prevalent was dread because she knew the only way she would ever leave London was if Peter was no more. And just the thought of his death hurt more than she could bear.

Legolas smiled. More than anything he wanted to expand on his family. Katelin was his pride and joy and he couldn't wait to feel like this all over again. And with the horror stories Peter sometimes brought up concerning Liena during pregnancy and labour he couldn't deny his longing to have her terrify him as well. Peter said he deserved it as payback for making him go through it alone the first time.

"Yes, it would be wonderful, my love. And we will have another, one day." With that promise, they pulled the sheets over them, shared a long, lingering kiss, then allowed themselves to drift into dreams of their future family.

* * *

Liena blinked to clear her vision the next morning, wondering what had woken her up. She had been in the middle of a beautiful dream but had been brought out of it rather abruptly and now couldn't decide why. Then she felt it again. A smile pulled at her lips and she propped herself up on her elbows, looking down at Legolas running his palm over her stomach. The path of his hand was softly followed with his lips as he kissed the delicate flesh.

"Legolas, what are you doing?"

He just looked up at her, gave her a searching stare, then went back to his activity, smiling like he had just been told the greatest news he had ever heard and completely ignoring her question. She would know soon enough.

She giggled as he hit a ticklish spot and repeated her question. Again he ignored her. Reaching out with her mind she tried to read him but he swatted her probing away like he would a mosquito buzzing round his head. In doing so he turned her thoughts inward. With a gasp she sat bolt upright, dislodging Legolas and nearly making him fall off the bed. She reached out and caught his arm, staring at him with wide eyes. He just grinned back at her.

It looked like the decision had been taken out of their hands after all.

* * *

Peter had been just as thrilled as the both of them when he heard he was going to be an uncle for a second time. Katelin had just smirked, folded her arms over her chest and said, "It's about bloody time!" before being scolded for her language.

After a long, hard discussion between the elves they had come to a conclusion and knew there was no changing their minds now.

"Peter, we're going back to Eryn Lasgalen," Liena said. "And you are coming with us."

The Watcher dropped the china cup he was drinking from and stared at her like she had gone totally off her rocker. "No, I'm not," he stated firmly. "You know I can't and you know perfectly well why I can't." Sorrow etched his features. "Although it pains me to say it, you are going to have to leave me here. I cannot say this is totally unexpected. In truth I had thought you would have gone long before now. I wish you both every happiness and don't blame you at all for wanting to get out of here. God knows I would if I could."

Now it was Legolas' turn to speak. "You can. Liena told me the only reason you have for staying here. The Council could not harm you if you lived within my father's kingdom. They would not know where you went, only that you had vanished. No Council members have ever been welcome in my home so you would be completely safe." Peter made to object further but Legolas interrupted him. "You have been a father to Liena all her life and have become just as much family to me. I will not allow you to live the rest of your life away from those who love you as much as we do." His voice was stern but his eyes were smiling. He understood the man's reluctance but also knew he would not pass up the chance to see Liena's second child come into the world. He could see in his eyes that Peter was as good as packed.

With a resigned sigh, the Watcher gave in and nodded Okay. There was no use fighting it. He had a feeling that, if he kept saying no, Liena, Katelin and Legolas would team up, tie him, possibly drug him to get him through that portal. So he might as well go willingly to save himself as much dignity as one can save in defeat. Liena threw her arms round his neck and hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek over and over and he knew one thing for certain.

Even if Legolas was wrong and the Council did find him in Middle Earth, he would never once regret the decision that brought Liena so much joy.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"I cannot believe this!" Katelin groaned as the two females walked down one of the vast hallways of the Eryn Lasgalen Palace. "Mum, you're two weeks overdue. Shouldn't you be eating curry and jumping up and down or something? C'mon! If you were in hospital they would be inducing you by now!"

To say the girl was impatient was an understatement. Her mother just smiled indulgently and linked her arm through her daughter's. She arched an eyebrow and said, "Maybe he's afraid of all the noise you're making. He squirms when you snap like that. And anyway, why should he want to come out? He's warm, safe, well aware of how much we love him already, so I can see no reason for him to enter this strange world. Apart from my comfort and mobility, of course. He'll come out to see us when he's ready."

The last few weeks had been hard for Liena. She was more than thrilled to come back. She had missed Thranduil and his other sons terribly. But gradually she had begun wondering what was happening to London now they were one Slayer short. She had even spoken to Legolas about going back for a few days. "Just for a quick peek," she had said in her most persuasive tone. But shockingly he had been able to resist the charm of her puppy eyes and had said he refused to even discuss the matter until their son had been born.

He hadn't said so but there wasn't a chance he was letting her go back. He had fought too long and too hard for the life he had now to watch it vanish through that goddamned portal again. Although he trusted her to come back he didn't trust the increasing demon activity in the area to allow her to make that journey. Caleb was nothing but a newborn vamp compared to some of the things they had seen in the few months before they left London. In his heart he had accepted the city as lost and hoped eventually Liena could do the same. From what Peter had said, the Council were able to deal with the problem one way or another. The elves' needn't get involved.

Apart for her concern for her home world she had been struggling to carry the extra weight more than she had with Katelin. She was finding it impossible to just sit and take the strain off her aching back. There was nothing to do. If she had been at home she could waste hours watching television or reading books or something equally impossible to do in Eryn Lasgalen.

Legolas was teaching her to paint. It wasn't really working. Although he had incredible talent and taught her well, her attention span wasn't long enough. He would sit close beside her and try to show her how to do something, leaning against her to bring his eyes level with hers, and the next thing she knew she was kissing his neck and getting paint on his expensive silk shirt. Not that he minded. They would normally end the lesson looking like they had had a paint fight, with more paint on themselves than on the canvas.

He was trying and failing to teach her how to read a write elvish, too. But this generally had the same result (just, without the paint, obviously.lol). So, since she had become heavily pregnant, both Legolas and Liena felt the lessons should wait until after the birth.

Thranduil was having much more success teaching her how to play various games and such. And Legolas' brother (Can't think of a name.Any suggestions?) was the musical one of the family and was patiently teaching her an elvish intrument with a name she had yet learnt to pronounce.

But although she was a good student and enjoyed spending time with Legolas' family, now her own, she found she couldn't find much enthusiasm. She was a warrior first and foremost. Such sedate hobbies didn't hold her interest as she wished they did. She found she still wanted to train hard and could often be found standing in her room with her swords slowly going through the motions.

The dresses she had once found beautiful and feminine were now restrictive and annoying, catching on her weapons and keeping her from even attempting anything resembling a high kick when she wanted to train. Still beautiful, but she wished, just occasionally, that she could wear her old clothes. But they didn't fit her anymore. So she had to make do. Although she would never admit it, even to Legolas, she had to agree with some of the ellith she had spoken to though. The gowns were much more comfortable for the extremely pregnant. Only once had she allowed herself to whisper in her mind that, yes, they were in fact more comfortable than her maternity dungarees.

"Well, I wish he'd be ready sooner," Katelin continued, making a conscious effort to lower the tone of her voice so as not to startle her baby brother. She rested a hand on her mother's swollen belly. "I can't wait to see him. I've never held a baby before." And this, incredibly, was true. In all the years the small family of elves had lived in London they had never got close enough to another family to have contact with young children.

When Katelin went through school she was about as much of an outcast as her mother had been so hadn't been overly concerned with trying to make friends. A few were loyal enough to overlook her obvious differences but Katelin had had enough presence of mind to keep her distance, knowing that her parents could decide to leave London at any time. Of course, it wasn't like she would come home to find everything packed and the bags by the door. But she didn't want to have to explain to her friends why she had to leave town at the end of the school year and why she couldn't tell them where she was going. So she kept it friendly but cool. They would miss her but not question her leaving and that suited her just fine.

Now she was making up for lost time, making friends with everyone she crossed paths with. And she was also rather enjoying the attentions of a certain young elf lord she met a few months ago. When she wasn't keeping her mother company she was learning archery with Lómion. She had inherrited her father's talent and was progressing well, although Liena suspected she wasn't picking it up as fast as she could. She knew from her own experience that learning a new skill while pressed against a handsome elf was not conducive to concentration. But she was sure her daughter didn't mind the delay. Katelin and Lómion got along blissfully well and she had high hopes for the pair of them.

Liena smiled at the thought. She remembered when she and Legolas had been at this stage of their relationship. Although circumstances were different she emotions she could feel coming off them were exactly the same. The joy, the passion, the excitement, all of it. They were still young though. Lómion had not yet entered his second century and Katelin was just shy of eighteen. Neither would recognise the signs everyone else could see plainly. Just like her mother, Katelin's soul mate was a Mirkwood elf. Which reminded her…

"Kate, weren't you supposed to be meeting Lómion soon?" She watched with a smug smile how just the mention of his name made Katelin blush and grin, her eyes sparkling. Yes, they were going to be very happy together.

"Oh. Yes, I have to be there soon. If you're going to be okay getting back to your rooms I'd like to go change first." Although she tried to sound willing to stay, it was clear she was praying her mother would be just fine. She wasn't disappointed.

With an indulgent chuckle Liena nodded. "I'm sure I can manage. We Slayers are tougher than we look. Go have fun. Try not to shoot anyone!" She was still grinning as Katelin ran down the hall, laughing to herself, giddy with excitement.

Just as her daughter rounded the corner Liena felt a sharp twinge of pain in her abdomen. She winced and reflexively clutched her stomach. She closed her eyes and checked on the baby but he was strangely silent. The only time she remembered Katelin being this quiet was… She gasped in fright when she felt a sudden gush of warm fluid between her legs. She snapped her head up to try and get Katelin back but she was gone.

"Aw, crap!"

* * *

Legolas had just been walking from the library, flicking idly through a book he wanted to show Katelin when he felt Liena's stab of fear. Tossing the book carelessly onto a chair, he took off at a run in the direction he felt her cry coming from. It didn't take him long to find her. She wasn't far from their rooms, sat on a stone bench and holding her protruding stomach. There was a puddle of red stained liquid at her feet and the same soaked her skirts. Her eyes were closed, her jaw was clenched and her breaths were coming in gasps.

She felt Legolas approach and looked up at him. He had reached her by then and was wrapping his arms round her. She fisted her hands in his shirt and pressed her face into his neck for comfort. "Legolas… the baby's coming," she gasped. "I need to get back to our room."

After his initial relief at there being nothing wrong he was overcome with something akin to pant-wetting terror! The baby was coming! Now! Surely it was early! Then he remembered with a swallowed groan that she was two weeks late already. He wrestled with his mind for control before complete panic set in. Okay, okay, he had been through this dozens of times in his mind and Liena had spoken with him for hours telling him what the last birth had been like. This should be no different. So stay calm, dammit!

Regardless of his stern pep-talk his hands were shaking as they grasped hers. "All right. Shall I carry you or co you want to walk?" She didn't think she could stand. She smiled as she told him her knees felt like jelly. He scooped her up and walked hurriedly toward their quarters. She clung to his neck and he could feel she was trembling from head to toe. He saw three servants walking down the hall in their direction. He got their attention and sent one to the archery range to fetch Katelin, one to find Peter and one to clean up where Liena's water had broken. He didn't stick around long enough to see but the servants played Rock, Paper, Scissors (a game Katelin had taight them) to decide who would be cleaning up the mess.

Legolas kicked open the doors to their sitting room then strode into the bedroom, setting her down on her feet and holding her close. "How are you feeling, mela?" he asked quietly, hoping she wasn't as scared as he was. He didn't feel up to being the strong one at the moment. Now he understood why Peter had described the whole experience the way he did. Legolas was terrified, and he wasn't even the one who was going to have to... His head started to spin so he quickly changed his train of thought. How the hell was he going to get through this without humiliating himself?

Liena took a deep breath and concentrated on slowing her racing heart. If she could do it without him she certainly could do it with him by her side. Although the strange way his skin seemed to have been drained of all colour kind of made alarm bells go off. With a smile she realised he may not be of much aid when things got serious. "I am feeling almost as scared as you look," she teased. "Try to relax, Legolas. Everything will go perfectly but I will need you when-" Her sentence broke off as a wave of pain began to build. She gripped his arm and grit her teeth, focusing on breathing deeply and not bruising Legolas' arm. She remembered all too well how Peter had two of his fingers taped for weeks after she had squeezed them too hard.

He wrapped his arms more securely around her and she leaned heavily against him. She whimpered and scrunched her eyes closed, forcing her muscles to relax and within moments the pain passed and she could stand straight again. When she was completely through the contraction Legolas' hands went to the ties of her gown. "This is hardly the time," she joked and he sucked in a breath, feeling heat wash over him. They hadn't made love in weeks and it had been driving him insane. Unable to help himself he pressed his mouth over hers, groaning as she welcomed his tongue past her full lips. They kissed passionately until he felt his body's reaction getting out of control. He broke the contact, breathing hard and aching. This was not what they needed right now. Well… wasn't what _she_ needed, anyway.

With a moan of disappointment Liena made to resume their kiss but he stood up straighter so she couldn't reach him. He gave her a pleading'give me a break!' look and she took pity on him, allowing him to turn her round and unfasted her dirty gown. She stepped out of it and walked purposefully over to a wardrobe and selecting one particular shirt. It was the blue one of Peter's she had worn when Kate was born. She slipped it on and ran her fingers softly over the fabric, remembering the day that felt like both yesterday and a hundred years ago. Such a bittersweet day. Fun of both joy and agony. Emotional conflict blurred the edges of that day so she relished the chance to be reminded.

Just as she turned back to Legolas there was a knock at their bedroom door. Legolas opened it then stepped aside, allowing both Peter and Katelin to enter. Mother and daughter embraced, thankfully both as comfortable with nudity as the elves would have them be. Kate's blue eyes were piercing as she examined Liena's face, trying to discover what she was feeling. Childbirth had always fascinated her and she had been the one to ask whether she could be there when her brother was born. Liena had felt a brief moment of uncertainty at the prospect and had taken a couple of days to think about it but had eventually warmed to the idea. And now the time was finally upon them she would have it no other way.

Peter looked at the Slayer before him and couldn't believe how the past year had changed her. She had grown and matured in a way he had never imagined and he couldn't believe he had almost allowed himself to miss this. A year ago he had been perfectly willing to let them go through this without him but now… Now wild horses couldn't drag him away. Cliché as it was, his Isabella was glowing with happiness. Everything was right with her world and it showed in her smile. Gone was the shadow he had thought would consume her when she first returned from Middle Earth. Gone was the cold, dead look in her eyes where the sparkle had vanished. As she stood there, her daughter's face cupped in her hands as she kissed her forehead, Peter felt himself moved almost to tears. It was a sight no Watcher before him had ever been blessed with. And he would remember it for the rest of his life.

Just then another contraction hit, making Liena grimace and put an arm out to steady herself. Legolas was beside her in a shot, one arm round her back and the other holding her hand, himself wincing slightly at the strength of her grip on his fingers. He encouraged her to walk, helping her balance as she paced up and down the room. She couldn't walk very fast at all, a lot of the time it was more of a hobble than an actual step but it did help ease the pain until it stopped on its own.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Liena, aren't these contractions coming rather fast? I thought you said last time it took you hours to get this far." Although he tried to hide it a hint of concern crept into his voice. He wanted nothing to endanger his wife or his child so the barest hint of something not being quite as it should was enough to worry him.

But she just shook her head. "I know I must be the stupidest person alive right now but, now I look back on it, I've been getting pains all morning. They weren't nearly as bad as I thought they should be so I brushed them off. It could've been just a warning that he was going to come in the next day or two. And Wendy told me one of her girls was only in labour for two hours after her water broke." She touched his face. "So, I don't think there's too much cause for concern, Sweetie." She kissed his cheek then waddled over to the bed. Perching on the edge she appeared thoughtful before looking over at Katelin. "Honey, could you go tell your Grandfather what's going on?" She smiled. "I don't want him to think we've forgotten about him or anything." The girl was halfways across the room before her mother's voice brought her to a skidding halt and turned her round. "Oh, and could you fetch Arien for me? I suppose I had better have someone here who knows what they're doing."

She watched Kate go then let her strong front slip a little. She heaved a great sigh of tiredness and shifted fully back onto the bed. Legolas helped her arrange the pillows to make her more comfortable than sat himself beside her. His arm was round her shoulders and he gently stroked her waist-length hair back from her face. When she had rested for a while he would tie it back for her to keep it out of her way. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed again. She nuzzled into his neck, feeling his pulse flutter against her nose. Inhaling his scent filled her with such a sense of peace she found herself drifting off to sleep.

Her eyes were closed and her breathing had started to deepen. Her mind was just beginning to conjure up images that had yet to take specific form when another pain started to build and pulled her from dreams. She cried out in surprise and felt her entire body tense, her legs bending, pulling her knees higher to try and ease the discomfort. Legolas rubbed her back and, when that did not help enough, moved to sit directly behind her so she was between his legs, using the new position to give him better access to the tight, cramping muscles in the small of her back. She groaned and arched her back, leaning heavily against him and bringing an arm up to wrap round the back of Legolas' neck.

When the ache died Legolas reached for the brush on the bedside table. He spent the rest of the time between contractions brushing her hair, twisting it into a thick braid tied off neatly at the end. She thanked him and settled back against his chest. She hadn't been at this for an hour and already she was exhausted.

Katelin returned soon after, bringing Arien, the elvish version of a midwife, in behind her. "Sorry for taking so long," Katelin said. "I ran into Lómion on my way out and he wanted to know how you were. And we kinda got chatting. He said for me to wish you well, by the way." She had that stupid, soppy grin on her face again and her cheeks were going pink. She couldn't believe how much she liked this guy. It wasn't natural to get so attached so soon. But she didn't care. It felt right to always want to be around him and if she had learnt anything from her time with the elves it was to follow her heart in everything. Very rarely did it lead you wrong.

Liena smiled. "Thank you, Katie. Don't worry. Nothing interesting has happened. You haven't missed anything. Arien, it's nice to see you," she said with a smile, clearly saying she would have preferred the meeting to be under less painful circumstances.

The blonde woman smiled and nodded. "It is good to see you, too, my friend. Although I do wish you had called for me earlier." She still couldn't shake the feeling that Slayer births were somehow different despite Liena's constant reassurance that when Katelin was born nothing unusual happened. The concept of Slayers was still a strange one to her. She hadn't even come into contact with a normal one before, let alone a pregnant one.

It seemed that now professional help was here the little boy knew it was safe to come out. Labour progressed much faster than they had anticipated and Liena had not time to catch her breath. She was fully dilated within two hours but by then had been so exhausted by hard and fast contractions she had virtually no energy left. But she gave it her all. Her child was the most precious thing to her right at that moment and she would stop at nothing to see him come into the world.

But for all her good intentions, even Liena's Slayer strength and stamina couldn't help her completely and Legolas had to watch his wife grow more and more frustrated. He was still sat behind her, propping her up and easing the tension in her tight muscles during the brief moments of rest the woman was allowed. And when he wasn't massaging her back and shoulders he was letting her grip his forearms as tight as she needed. Already the flesh was a mottled with purple bruising but he welcomed the pain of her incredibly strong hands. It felt right to be going through some pain alongside her, even though he knew the discomfort he was experiencing was nothing compared to the agony Liena was suffering.

Eventually, after a marathon push that nearly made her black out, Liena collapsed back against Legolas, panting and groaning in both pain and frustration. "I can't," she gasped. "I can't do it." She was virtually sobbing and angry, frightened tears ran down her sweat-dampened cheeks as the possibility of failing her son crossed her mind.

Wrapping his arms across her chest, Legolas cupped the left side of her face with his right hand and nuzzled into her neck on the other side. "Yes, you can," he assured her despite his own heart's clenching in alarm. "You have to. You've come so far and worked so hard. You've done beautifully and now our son just needs you to go on a little further." But she shook her head.

"I can't," she wept, turning her head to rest her head against his. "Help me. You do it," she pleaded brokenly. "You do it for me. Just for a little while, I promise."

His heart, already bleeding from the agonised screams he had to hear from her for the past hour or so, broke for the utter hopelessness he felt in her. And he felt just as helpless as she. "You know I would if I could, my love," he whispered soothingly. "But it has to me you. I know you can. And never once have I seen you defeated."

Katelin, who had been sat hugging Peter through this whole ordeal, suddenly piped up. "Come on, Mum. We're Slayers. Slayers are stronger than this," she encouraged. "You're just going to sit there and be beaten by the most natural thing in the world, when so many _un_natural things haven't stood a chance against you! Not a snowball's chance in Hell!"

Legolas had just turned his head to chastise his daughter when he suddenly felt a wave of strength and renewed determination build within Liena. For a moment he had to wonder why the sudden change but then he realised. First and foremost she was a Slayer. And Slayers learnt to rely on their physical strength long before they were able to even _comprehend _emotional strength. He had been appealing to all the wrong sides of her.

But right then, reminded of who and what she was Liena felt her spine return along with what she knew would be her final effort. Balling up the last scraps of energy and courage she had left, Liena grit her teeth, braced herself back against Legolas, and threw herself into the building contraction. So focused was she on the tiny life inside her and the force she had to use to free him from her body that she didn't didn't notice the pain or the inevitable scream that ripped through her as she was finally pushed way beyond the limits of body and mind. The last thing she heard before comforting blackness consumed her was a thin, frightened wail as the newest member of the Greenleaf family made his presence known.

* * *

The first thing Liena became aware of as she regained consciousness was the fact that she was no longer in her own bed. Considering the mess she must have made of the last one this wasn't totally unexpected. But it was rather disconcerting all the same. She forced herself to open her eyes and recognised the room as one in the healers quarters. Experimentally she tried shifting and groaned as an unpleasant ache blossomed throughout her entire lower half. But then movement to her right caught her attention and all was forgotten as her gaze collided with that of her husband.

Legolas was stood casually in the open doorway out onto the balcony, silver starlight and moonlight shining behind him, a bundle of dark green in his arms. He smiled warmly and walked toward her. "Someone wants to say hello," he said softly as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Ignoring her discomfort, Liena sat upright and leaned toward him, bringing an arm round his shoulders. In his safe embrace snoozed a contented baby boy, his delicate pointed ears clearly defined even at this early age. Her eyes filled with tears and an awed smile curved her lips. Her fingers were trembling with emotion as she reached out to gently caress the infant's rosy cheek. She rested her head on Legolas' shoulder and just stared. She could do nothing else.

When eventually she looked back up at him he was still gazing intently at her. "How are you feeling, Sweetheart?" he asked.

Liena grinned. "I have honestly never been better. But why am I in the healer's? Surely the mess wasn't that bad."

"Arien insisted. When you blacked out she was convinced something was terribly wrong and I was worried also so we brought you down here. But when it became clear you would wake in your own time she still would not be moved. She will check on you in the morning but before she left she made it perfectly clear there would be Hell to pay if you left that bed." He was smiling fondly at the thought of the overprotective elleth and the fury he was sure she would send his way if he disobeyed her orders. It was tempting to test the theory just to see if his imagination was up to scratch. But concern for his wife overulled his sense of humour in this instance and he decided to take it upon himself to make sure she stayed put.

He made to pass her the slumbering babe but she shook her head, declining his offer. At his frown of confusion she kissed his cheek. "I am enjoying the sight of you with him far too much to want to break up the scene. I'll have my turn soon." She patted the space beside her on the bed and he moved to sit more fully on the matress. Shifting their boy so he had one arm free, he looped it round her shoulders and kissed her head. She snuggled into the embrace and sighed. "You know, we still have to name this little one." Again she stroked his face, still trying to process that this had actually happened.

Legolas nodded. "I have been thinking about that. I know we were talking about a few mortal names from your realm but I was thinking of something a little more… elvish." He looked down to gauge her reaction. She just looked straight back up at him, listening with interest. So he gazed back down at his son and said, "What do you think of Aldaron?"

"Aldaron," Liena said to herself, testing the feel of it on her tongue. It felt strange and unfamiliar. But she liked it. And if the past few decades was anything to go by, there would be plenty more children to experiment with both elvish and mortal names. "I can live with that," she agreed, smiling lovingly down at her newly named child. "As long as the next boy is called Luca. We can flip a coin for the next girl's name."

Legolas laughed but suddenly the atmosphere became serious. Liena's voice was almost hesitant as she began speaking. "I love you, Legolas. And right now I don't think I have ever felt that love more. This is the moment I have been dreaming about ever since Katelin was conceived. Almost twenty years. I know that isn't long to you but…" she paused, pulling her scattered thoughts together. "It felt like an eternity to me." Then she broke the mood as rapidly as she had brought it about by smirking and adding, "But I guess my patience will improve with every kid we have. We'd better get cracking, then, huh?"

Again Legolas laughed. "Just how many children were you planning on having?"

She appeared thoughtful for a few moments. "Oh, only another one or two… dozen. I mean, I don't want to dedicate my _whole_ young life to being a mother, after all."

Now she was the one to laugh. Legolas' expression was one of wide-eyed shock. But within seconds it completely changed and he was staring at her with undisguised hunger. He leaned in and kissed her deeply, tongue sweeping back and forth across her lips. She sighed and let him in, relishing the first real moment of sexual contact they had allowed themselves for weeks.

Feeling himself start to heat up way too fast he broke the kiss. "No, wouldn't want that. I can think of _much_ more important things to dedicate your young life to," he said huskily, leaning toward the edge of the bed to deposit their baby in the cot placed on the floor before coming back to wrap his arms possessively around his wife.

"Oh, yes? And what would they be?" she asked, staring up at him with an expression of pure innocence.

He leaned in infuriatingly close before whispering, "You'll figure it out," and capturing her lips once more. Within moments they were lost, each surrendering to the pure bliss of finally beginning what they had yearned for their entire lives. They had just taken their first real step into a long, happy and uninterrupted eternity as the Gods had always planned them to be.

Together.

The End!

* * *

Before I do anything else I have to thank Myri78. It's thanks to you I had the motivation to get this far. You encouraged (although some would say 'nagged' Lol) me to keep going when I would have given up. I dedicate this chapter to you for your never ending support! You're an absolute babe:)

And just as much thanks to all my other reviewers! You've meant the world to me over the past... however long I've been trying to do this story and I would never have kept going if I hadn't heard from you allso: THANK YOU!

Well, that's about it. As you can probably guess, I have never been through childbirth myself so you'll have to forgive any inaccuracies and if you want to suggest way I could make the story better in any way I'd be gratefull to have your input. Now it's finished I'm feeling much more openminded about rewriting previous chapters. I seem to work better without the pressure :)

So, for the last time, I'm just going to ask you to review and let me know what you think and hopefully I'll get some more plot-bunnies to send you eventually. Thanks again, you guys! You're the best!

Take care! xxxxx


	25. Epilogue

Yo! to any and all who read this little useless chapter I wrote. Many thanks to all of you who've read and reviewed since I posted the last chapter. And Thanks especially to BluWine who said in her review that I should do something like this. So here it is. Let me know what you think.

* * *

This competition had been going on for what felt like hours and had drawn quite a crowd, all of his friends among them. The archery range had been busy when the gauntlet had been thrown down and he had been unable to resist the challenge. But his opponent had greater skill than he had anticipated and best of three became best of five... seven... nine... until eventually the score had been forgotten and it was merely a case of who would give up first.

Legolas was the crowned prince of his father's realm with three thousand years of experience under his belt. He was famous for his skill throughout Middle Earth. He would not be defeated by this mere child barely out of his first century. It would be humiliating.

It was his turn. With practiced precision he drew an arrow from his quiver and notched it. He raised his arm and tensed, pulling the bowstring tight and feeling the familiar bend and flex of the wood under his left palm. He stared intently down the length of the arrow, visualising it soaring to the target with deadly accuracey. His eyes narrowed, his concentration unbreakable as he released the string...

"OH! Dear god, what is that?!"

Legolas' jaw dropped upon seeing his first mistake of the contest. Turning his head slowly he looked over his shoulder at the source of the feminine shriek.

Wren was up on her feet, having leapt from the blanket she was sharing with Katelin, brushing fractically at her skirt and jumping around. Their daughter was no help at all, holding Luca in her arms and laughing at the sight like it was the funniest thing she had seen in years. Then Wren suddenly seemed to realise she was at the centre of attention and stopped, looking indignantly at him over her own shoulder before stating, "A bug." When all he did was raise an expectant eyebrow she ellaborated. "It was a bloody _**big **_bug, okay?" She then flopped back down and folded her arms, miming zipping her lips.

Legolas was so anxious to get back to the match (nothing quite like a little friendly competition to put the guy into a-hole mode) he missed the subtle wink his wife sent his opponent. She grinned when Aldaron winked back. With his next shot he hit the target dead centre, giving his defeated father a mocking bow before saying, "Told you, you're getting old." He ducked the swipe at his head and laughed at Legolas' scowl.

* * *

"Legolas, your son needs changing!"

There was a muffled expletive from the other room.

"Don't you give me that. It's your turn! And don't swear, it doesn't suit you." Wren laughed when he threw a pillow at her from the bedroom door, thwacking her on the back of the head. Looking over her shoulder she caught his reluctant smile and got up to follow him, leaving 4 month old Luca on the soft rug in the sitting room, happily sucking how toes. As she passed she swept a tender caress over the photograph of Peter on the desk. It had been taken not long after Katelin had been born and he smiled, young and happy, out at her.

He had been gone for over sixty years and there still wasn't a day that passed without her thinking about him. She still missed him sometimes and losing him was the hardest thing she had ever gone through but she could remember him with a smile now. They shared so many things no Slayer and Watcher ever got to share and for that she would be eternally grateful.

Standing in the doorway she watched Legolas put away Luca's disgarded toys, noticing how he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the task at hand. And unless she was very much mistaken she thought she saw the beginnings of a pout coming on. She fought a smirk. "C'mon, you aren't still sore about losing to Aldaron, are you? It had to happen eventually."

He feigned a glare. "You didn't have to help him."

Her eyes widened in innocence. "Me? I did nothing. If you can't beat distraction that's your own fault." She sidled up behind him and slid her hands round his waist when he straightened. "We'll just have to practice." Resting her chin on his shoulder she looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "I'm sure I can think of a few other ways of distracting you."

He turned his head and surveyed her with an arched brow. "Oh, you can, can you?" She nodded and he couldn't hold back his smile. By the gods, she smelled good. "Would you show me?" His voice was pitched low, designed to get under her skin. He could see in her eyes it was having the desired effect. He turned toward her and ran a hand down her spine, coming to rest on her backside.

Wren ran her tongue thoughtfully over her top lip and stared provocatively at his mouth. Standing on tip-toe she came within an inch of his lips and paused. With her hand on his chest she could feel he was holding his breath. "Alright," she said softly before closing the distance. The kiss she received in response was deeper than she had expected, momentarily erasing all thought. "But you have to do something for me first," she eventually managed to whisper between heated kisses.

"Mm?" which she knew meant, "Anything!"

"Mm." She let her hand creep up to his neck where her fingertips just brushed the shell of his ear. "You need to change Luca."

Legolas froze and snapped his eyes open. He let out a grunt of frustration and his shoulders sagged in defeat. Despite his complaining it was in fact his turn. Oh well, the sooner he got the hateful job overwith the sooner they could get back to more...

Just then the sitting room door was thrown open, making them jump apart almost guiltily. "Ada!" came the frantic shout followed by running feet. A pale, blonde elleth in dusty riding gear rushed in looking flustered. "Ada, tell Heather!" she cried but was shoved from behind before she could say another word.

"Don't you dare, Evie!" Another elleth, the blonde's identical twin in every way but hair colour. "I swear, just because you can't fight your own battles doesn't mean you have to get me in trouble for doing it for you. I was only trying to help!"

"You punched him in the face!"

"He asked for it! I saw what he did to you!"

"What did he do to you?" Legolas growled dangerously low. He knew without asking they were arguing about the spoilt young elf lad who had got it into his head that Evie was his new toy and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Evie opened her mouth to defend her admirer but Heather got there first. "He tried to put his hand up her skirt."

"What!?" Wren couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And what did you do?" she asked Evie, holding up her hand to silence Heather's explanation.

"I pushed him off and told him to keep his hands to himself. But he thought I was joking and tried again. The next thing I knew Heather jerked him round by his shirt and punched him in the face. She gave him a bloody nose!" she exclaimed, distressed.

"I'll give him more than that when I get my hands on him!" Legolas was fuming and moved to step past the girls to the door but Wren pressed and hand to his chest. He glared at her and tried to go round but she persisted, shaking her head. "Wren, move. Let me handle this."

Wren shook her head. "No. You're angry and protective and liable to make the situation worse. Go and see to Luca," she insisted, gesturing to the baby who had started to fuss with all the noise. Legolas opened his mouth to protest but she would have none of it. "Go. Calm down and I will deal with this for the moment. I promise, if Oropher needs pummeling you can have first go."

With a sigh forced through flared nostrils, Legolas turned on his heel and walked to the rug and his fidgeting son. In the background he could hear Evie still trying to defend the little gargoyle. "Heather broke his nose. He'll never talk to me again now!"

Tuning out the rest of the conversation, Legolas knelt on the floor and picked up the little boy who smiled happily at the sight of his father. Despite his frustration, Legolas couldn't help but smile back and the way his tiny body curved into the protective embrace eased most of the tension out of him. The angry fog of his thoughts started to clear.

His poor girls. Not even thirty yet and already being chased by boys. Evie was besotted with the young Oropher, dazzled by his good looks, charm and obvious enthusiasm she had let herself ignore that, not only was she too young, but he clearly wasn't her other half. She enjoyed his attention, was flattered by his persistence, but couldn't see that she was only one of many.

Heather saw. She saw and she hated that her sister was going to be hurt sooner or later. So she took it upon herself to fix it. Unfortunately she had not yet learnt tact, subtlty. When asked once whether she had in fact heard of tact she had flippantly replied, "Tact is just not saying stuff that's true. I think I'll pass." And that had been that. But now her bluntness was getting her into trouble. He couldn't fault her intentions. He had been trying to hink of a way to see him off for weeks. And her methods were dangerously close to his own so he could say nothing about that either. So maybe it was better to let the calmer, more rational one handle it.

"He did **what**?!"

Luca jumped in Legolas' arms at the sudden shout. Legolas turned and watched his wife storm out of the bedroom, through the sitting room and out the door, with Evie trotting along behind making placating gestures and noises, and Heather wandering steadily behind them, a satisfied smile on her face. She looked over at her father and tried valiantly to look sorry. Legolas had to ask "Did you really break his nose?"

Heather hesitated before answering, not sure which answer he wanted. Deciding honesty was less likely to bite her in the ass later, she nodded, biting her lip to keep a straight face. "Yeah."

He stared at her for long moments, making her squirm under the scrutany, then felt his composure slip. The smile soon became a laugh and when Heather realised her father wasn't angry she joined in.

Legolas sighed and shook his head. "You are far too much like your mother for your own good." He got to his feet and walked to stand in front of her. It was almost frightening to see she was only a couple of inches shorter than him. "So, as punishment, you can bathe your brother." He handed his stunned daughter the squirming baby, messed her hair affectionately, then walked after his wife to see just what she was going to do to the poor lad when she got her hands on him. If he hadn't crossed the line with one of his children he would very nearly pity the boy. That thought set him laughing all over again.

Wren had been worried once what she was going to do with eternity. She had spent her entire life knowing it was finite, that it would end far too soon so she should live every moment to the fullest. But since the end of the war then their return to middle earth from her home in London, her life had become endless, stretching before her further than she could even contemplate. What would she do with all this time she suddenly found herself with? Wouldn't she get bored? There are only so many things to keep yourself entertained, after all.

But now, after nearly one hundred and fifty years of peace, Legolas was sure of one thing. Life spent raising their ever-growing family was going to be anything but boring.


End file.
